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During the last two years, Mrs. Voshell's sales have increased and her hobby of copying antique china dolls has become a financial success. Her replica china heads sell for from $4 to $9.50 and dressed dolls for $8 and up. She sells not only to individuals, but to doll collectors who are unable to get the originals. Recently a Jenny Lind doll costumed in rose slipper satin of period style was bought immediately upon completion by a jeweler for $35 to enhance his display window.

Mrs. Voshell has more than seventy different exquisite replicas made from original china, parian, and German bisque dolls.

The Voshells are the parents of two daughters and two sons who have gone from college into successful business careers. This satisfaction has given the mother the inspiration and the opportunity to use her active mind and talent in pursuing her pleasant and profitable hobby that began only to fill leisure hours.

THE INITIAL step was taken by Mrs. Voshell several years ago when she found ceramics a novel and intriguing pastime. She—a natural artist—decided she wanted to know the fundamentals of the art in order to do better work; consequently, she took a specialized course at the Janhon Ceramics Studio at Baytown, Texas.

Returning to her home in Bucklin, Kansas, she was persuaded to open a studio and teach ceramics. But she, being a very thorough person, soon discovered that the demands of the class left no time for her to experiment with or enjoy this new kind of avocation. One of her students opened a ceramics studio. Since in the meantime Mrs. Voshell had found her new art of reproducing the elegant original dolls more absorbing than ceramics, and now that her student could take over the teaching, she discontinued that phase and devoted her time to collecting, borrowing, and buying the old dolls from relatives, doll collectors, friends, and even curious strangers who became interested in the idea.

Eventually the large basement of the Voshell home was converted into a workshop which houses the materials and facilities: two kilns, clay, tools, paints, glazes, worktable, and shelf upon shelf of molds. There Mrs. Voshell indulges herself with it all and especially enjoys painting the dainty features on her beautiful creations.

FIRST MRS. VOSHELL must find the dolls. She started with three doll heads of the 1870's which belong to her sister-in-law in the neighboring town of Dodge City. Then friends in the sister-in-law's and Mrs. Voshell's town became interested. As she says, news of unusual hobbies spreads quickly so that in a short time she had more than two dozen dolls—some had both hands and feet, but many had long since survived with only a head; also, she sometimes found hands and feet without a head.

Mrs. Voshell has a niece, Mrs. Katheryn Keehn, in Richmond, Virginia, who collects dolls for her daughter, Judy, and has contributed generously to the Voshell supply. Another niece, Mrs. Fred Hederhorst of Baytown, Texas, has not only contributed originals but bought some dolls of which she was unable to find the originals. Mrs. Voshell has a sister in California, two nieces in Nevada, a sister-in-law in Washington state and a niece, Mrs. Forrest Morris (a doll collector) in McPherson, Kansas. These relatives and in turn their friends have also helped in the search.

A number of originals have come from persons who have seen Mrs. Voshell's work and her collection of originals and replicas in her own home. That reminds the visitor that in mother's or auntie's old trunk or in grandmother's attic there is a doll and in due time it is retrieved and finds its way to Mrs. Voshell's workshop. In return she always presents the donor with a replica complete—head, body, hands and feet.

Mrs. Voshell has some offers that she cannot use, such as dolls with hair, eyes that open and close and those with eyelashes. Most people are quite willing to lend a prized doll when they find that it is in no way injured in the process of reproduction. Some very rare dolls have been lent by strangers to friends of the artist; these strangers were delighted to receive the original back in perfect order and also a copy of the original. Mrs. Voshell buys some originals in her travels, visiting antique shops and doll collectors, but she finds that very few old dolls can be bought at a reasonable price.

ONCE SHE has a new doll head Mrs. Voshell is eager to make the mold from which she makes the reproduction. And to quote her, "Then the fun begins."

She makes the mold from potter's plaster for which she recommends U. S. Gypsum No. 1 plaster. There are other usable kinds, but she admonishes, "For goodness sakes, do not waste time making molds from dental plaster for it is too soft and too expensive."

The mold will be made in box-like form. Buy metal sheets 4 by 6 inches, 6 by 12 inches and 8 by 16 inches, bent in right angles. She takes four sheets the same size to make the four corners of a mold and uses a block of wood one inch thick and from six to twelve inches square on which to put the modeling clay and the doll head. The wooden block makes the form more substantial once it is set up. On the block of wood place the modeling clay that has been rolled smooth with a rolling-pin. This clay must be thick enough to embed the doll head to the original seam on the head—face up. If the original seam cannot be distinguished, one should make a mark from the top of the shoulder up over the ear to the shallowest and highest place on the head and thus down the other side of the head.

Before the head is embedded in the clay the shoulders are filled in with the modeling clay and this "cork" or plug is extended to two inches below the bottom of the doll head. This in ceramics is known as a "spare." This spare keeps the plaster from running into the head while the mold is being made, and provides an opening through which the casting slip is poured when the mold is finished.

When the shoulders of the doll head have been fitted with the modeling clay spare, it is then laid down onto the modeling clay that has been rolled smooth; then Mrs. Voshell marks around the head and shoulders, next removes the doll head and cuts out the clay. Then she embeds the head in the cut out place and with small pieces of clay fills in the highest and shallowest places, pushing down until firm and smooth, making sure to follow the mark or seam of the head. One must be very careful not to build clay over some high places, otherwise the model could not be removed from the hardened plaster once it is set.

AFTER THE head is embedded the modeling clay must be made as smooth as possible. For this Mrs. Voshell uses a case knife or her fingers; then in the corners and at the sides she embeds at least three marbles on a side (each marble embedded half way down). These marbles make what are known as locks which keep the two pieces of the mold from slipping out of place when the two pieces are finished and put back together.

While the head is embedded and the marbles in place, the head should be cleaned of any clay particles with a damp cloth. Mrs. Voshell is now ready to place the box form around the block of wood on which the doll head is embedded. Take four metal squared pieces; place them at the corners; let them overlap each other in the center of each of the four sides. Use snap clothes pins to hold them together at the top and a soft clothes line rope tied tightly at the bottom to hold the metals in place. All corners are to be filled with clay so no plaster can run through. Next cover or size the sides thoroughly, also the clay in which the doll head is embedded, with soap or separator. This separator can be green soap which can be bought at any drug store or one can make it from one bar of pure castille soap dissolved in a quart of boiling water—cooled and bottled. The soap is used so the plaster will not adhere to the sides and so the plaster will come away clean from the modeling clay.

The soap is not used on a glazed head. A mold can be made over clay that has been fired, over glazed wood, or bisque.

MRS. VOSHELL is now ready to mix the potter's plaster. She puts water in any pan or bowl of convenient size that will hold the amount she thinks will cover the object in the form—at least two inches. Into this bowl she sprinkles plaster until little dry islands build up on top of the water. This shows that the water has absorbed all it can. She stirs gently and pours the plaster into the form; the plaster will surround the model and assume its shape.

The plaster goes through a heating period and then hardens. Mrs. Voshell now proceeds as follows: Let stand until cold to the touch; remove from the form and turn the half just made over so that the plaster side is now on the bottom. Remove the board with the clay and also the marbles. With a damp cloth remove any clay from the head and the plaster. Any rough places or sharp edges can be cut smooth with a knife. Again smooth up the modeling clay that fills the doll's shoulders (the cork, or spare also known as plug). The first half of the mold is now completed. Use the same form again. Place it around the plaster that contains the head that is now face down and is not yet removed from the plaster. Tie very tightly as before around the bottom and use snap clothes pins again to hold the metal pieces together. Again fill the corners with clay so the plaster will not run through. Again brush potter's soap on the sides and thoroughly brush the plaster and marble holes. Also brush the soap on the spare of the doll head. Otherwise one would not be able to separate the two halves of the mold from the doll head and the doll head would have to be dug out of a very solid piece of plaster.

Now mix the plaster as for the first half; pour into this second half; let stand until cold. Remove the outside form and separate the two halves by putting a knife blade between the two at one corner and tapping lightly on the blade with a hammer. Now remove the original head and with it the spare. It should come out easily with a little pulling. It can be cut around gently with a carver's knife but this should be avoided if possible. You have at this time a two-piece mold. This mold should have the sharp edges cut off on all sides with a knife and then put together and held in place with two rubber bands cut from old tire tubes, and allowed to dry for at least two weeks before using.

Mrs. Voshell informs us that she does not mix her casting slip since there is much less work involved and her studio is much cleaner if she lets some "he-man" do the mixing and sell the slip to her. She buys slip in ten- and twenty-gallon lots with glaze to match. Glaze to match is most important. Glaze must always fit the clay. She buys porcelainite and casting slip which is very beautiful and appropriate for her kind of work.

TO CAST the replica doll head fill the mold with casting slip (clay). The plaster mold absorbs the moisture from the casting slip. In fifteen to twenty minutes one can see the clay thicken on the edge of the mold. When the desired thickness is reached—about ¼ inch—up-end the mold and pour the surplus casting slip back into the container and turn the mold down with the edges of the mold onto some small object to drain. When the clay (slip) no longer drains, turn the mold right side up. When the clay begins to shrink from the mold sides, lay the mold on one side; remove the rubber bands and easily pry up one corner with a knife blade—this loosens the mold from the slip clay. Remove the top half of the mold. While the doll head is still in the bottom half of the mold trim away the upper half of the spare. This is the clay leading up to the bottom of the doll head and shoulders. If not cut away the shoulders would come down too far onto the body. Lift out the head and cut away the other half of the extra clay of the shoulders and make holes in the shoulders where they are to be sewed to the doll body. This can be done with any sharp round tool. This is now your doll head in green ware and must be set aside to dry a couple of days. After the cast piece is dry, the seam made by the two-piece mold where it joins together must be removed. This can be done with very fine sandpaper, a knife, a damp cloth, or soft tissue. Any blemishes are also removed in this manner. The bottom of the shoulders is made smooth in the same way.

The doll head is now ready for its hair. If it is to be black Mrs. Voshell uses black under glaze. It is now ready for the first bisque fire. This is done at cone 05 or 1904° F. The firing time in her electric kiln is from five to five and one-half hours, depending upon the load in the kiln, as do all firing times. If a kiln is stacked with all it will hold, firing will take longer than in one stacked with only half as much. She lets the kiln stand for from ten to fourteen hours before opening.

When the doll head is removed from the kiln at this time it is now in bisque form and is ready to be glazed. It will now be glazed in clear glaze, which can be done by spraying, brushing or dipping. Mrs. Voshell prefers to dip unless the doll is to be done in porcelain and then it must be sprayed. After the glaze is applied she lets it dry over night and then it is ready for the glaze fire which is done at cone 06 or 1859° F. The glaze fire objects must be "dry footed." The glaze must be taken off with a damp cloth or sponge on any part that touches a kiln shelf; otherwise the piece would adhere to the shelf and one would have to break it to remove it from the kiln. Again the kiln is cooled for the same number of hours as for the bisque fire.

The doll is now glazed and is ready for the features. For this Mrs. Voshell uses china paints and over glazes. She likes the over-glaze for eyes and china paint for cheeks. For the features she uses red sable brushes sizes from 000 to 3. And, she emphasizes, the brushes must be good.

The over-glazes she uses can be fired at once and this is done at cone 019 or cone 022 which is 1121° F. It takes from one and one-half to two hours. It is very important that the kiln lid be left open a crack for the first hour if one is firing china paint, gold or lustre. This fire may be cooled rapidly. For blond hair Mrs. Voshell uses fire glazes that are applied to the dry green ware and also uses china paints.

No doll head after it has been fired (first fire) and glazed can be changed or redone. The features can be made heavier or cheeks and lips darker, but no line can be erased or changed, since all features have been burned into the glaze.

MRS. VOSHELL is the only worker in her studio. She makes all her molds; does all her casting, glazing, and firing alone, likewise the painting of features, which requires hours of tedious toil and care.

Last spring she exhibited dressed dolls and doll heads at the state hobby show at Hutchinson, Kansas, at which 15,000 tickets were sold.

This hobbyist has lectured and displayed her wares before many clubs and civic organizations. At the Hutchinson show, those exhibiting their work were not allowed to sell or advertise there, but they could tell where they lived and as a result Mrs. Voshell had many people write to her and a large number came to her home and bought after seeing the dolls at the show.

Most of the sales of the dolls come from individuals and doll collectors who have seen one or more of her dolls at various places. She has had inquiries, followed by sales, from strangers who did not reveal how they had heard of her and her art. Residents in her home town and community have brought friends—men as well as women—who become fascinated and quite often buy not only for themselves, but to take back home to some acquaintance or relative. Many are awed and cannot believe the dolls are replicas. "It is indeed interesting," says Mrs. Voshell, "to see the eyes of the visitors light up as they gaze upon the dolls and recognize a likeness of their childhood days."

Since Mrs. Voshell works alone, her sales are limited. She says she could not possibly handle more sales than those that come in the above manner. This hobby started as a pleasant diversion but as orders and sales have mounted she has paid for her equipment and is now adding to her coffers. She says frankly that if one does good enough work and wants to make a business of reproducing, the field is wide open, but only for one who turns out first class work. She has seen some attempts by others that have fallen far short of being true and attractive replicas.

MRS. VOSHELL sold sixty-two sets (head, hands and feet) last year, besides, the dolls dressed by her coworker, Mrs. Grace Nease. She has sold several sets of arms and feet to doll hospitals. These sets—arms and legs—range from one inch to six inches. The six-inch size will do for a doll forty-two inches tall. She gave her culls to a Presbyterian Women's Council which made them up for an orphanage in Denver, Colorado. "Oh, yes, I do have some culls," she says. "Not all are perfect, but these are used only in this way—they are never sold."

She takes pride in the fact that each doll head is marked inside with the year and the name of the doll, if she is able to resurrect the name, and the copy is marked "replica" so that it could not be resold for an original.

Only on extraordinary occasions does she make the body or dress the doll; rather she prefers making copies of antique dolls, leaving the costuming to Mrs. Nease. Mrs. Nease makes the bodies and beautiful costumes in period style. She makes the bodies over a special pattern; fills them with fine cotton or kapok—sawdust is used only upon request. The materials used and the workmanship of Mrs. Nease, like those of Mrs. Voshell, are of the finest quality.

Mrs. Voshell's many reproductions of originals are like the three bears—little ones—middle sized ones—large sized ones. She does not care much about the little ones for they are harder to copy and do not bring nearly so much money. She has four large heads that make up dolls twenty-eight to thirty-two inches tall. One is taken from a Greiner papier mache, circa 1850, the original from a china head of the same date. Another large head of 1860, is a replica of an heirloom of her niece, Mrs. Forrest Morris, a doll collector.

Listed as an unusual china head—one of the 1870's—is a girl doll with long black hair over her shoulders, owned and lent by a sister-in-law, Mrs. Stella Voshell. Many of the more common china heads of the 1870's are a number of the named dolls—Helen, Dorothy, Bertha, etc. One is a little Mary Todd Lincoln with a gold snood, circa 1860. Jenny Lind was bought from Goodwin's Garden Studio at Arlington, Texas. It is not taken from the original; however, she is a lovely doll, twenty inches tall.

THE MOST outstanding and to its reproducer, the most beautiful doll is listed in the doll books as a Carrie Ordway. It was copied from a parian head on the doll lent by a stranger, Mrs. Nellie McWilliams of Delhi, Colorado, whose family had owned the doll for ninety years. Carrie has a high hair-do with a rose colored china bow on top of her head; her ears are pierced; she has a ruff around her neck and handsome features.

In Mrs. Voshell's workshop there is only one commercial mold and that is of Marie Antoinette. She has several Japanese bisque and two hand-sculptured dolls, one boy doll that she took from a tin head and two boys of German bisque. One was broken completely around his head and his eyes were gone. He had been hidden away in a trunk for many years. Mrs. Voshell mended his head, put in new glass eyes, brushed his little black velvet suit, laundered his little Peter Pan collar, put on some new patent leather shoes and put his black velvet cap on his head in a jaunty air. She reports that the little fellow looked as elegant as he did fifty years ago.

Mrs. Voshell smiles as she recalls a most interesting order which came from twin sisters, junior high age. The order was for five dolls made up to represent characters in Louisa May Alcott's book, "Little Women." The order was filled with all five brown headed. And the mother doll was a Jenny Lind with brown eyes (ordinarily the eyes are blue). The sisters were to use these five dolls as a display while reviewing the book "Little Women" at a social gathering.