No. 19

Emily

Modern Artist Doll (reproduction)

Details

Original sculpt

Dianna Effner (USA, 1945-2020), Expressions mold

Artist

To be confirmed (initials on back of head)

Height

To be confirmed (mold made in 14 in. and 18 in.)

About this doll

'Emily' has blonde curls with a white hair ribbon and wears a striped dress with a white eyelet-lace collar and a cameo pendant. She reproduces a sculpt by Dianna Effner, one of America's leading doll sculptors; the maker is being confirmed from the initials on the back of the head.

Emily was a mold in the 'Child Series' of Effner's company Expressions, offered in 14-inch and 18-inch sizes; finished examples date from around 1991.

Background

Dianna Effner (1945-2020) was born in Utah, studied art at Bradley University and began sculpting dolls in 1976. Elected to the National Institute of American Doll Artists (NIADA) in 1990, she founded Expressions Inc. with her husband Randall in Jamestown, Missouri, and became a pioneer in supplying artist-designed molds to hobby dollmakers. She turned a pre-Civil War mercantile building into a studio where she held seminars.

She founded the Doll Dreamers' Guild to teach her realistic eye-painting technique, 'DEEP' (Dianna Effner Eye Painting), and was widely loved for her 13-inch vinyl 'Little Darlings'. She also designed dolls for Ashton-Drake, Boneka of Germany and other companies.

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