Saturday, August 25, 2012

Porcelain Muse



I acquired a bisque procelain original Rose O'Neill Kewpie doll.   From here, forward, I will refer to her as "QP" as to avoid copyright and other legal entanglements.    

Let me give you some background on this lil' lady:

The name, often shortened to "Kewpie", is derived from "cupid", the Roman god of beauty and – as Eros is the Greek version of Cupid – erotic love. The time capsule at the 1939 New York World's Fair contained a Kewpie doll. Although she does have monetary value and knows how to earn charm points, you would never see her on Antiques Road Show, as she has visible hair-line fractures in her fingers, tiny mo-hawk, and one of her shoulders has troubles. Perhaps it's the gout. 

Production of the celluloid kewpie eventaully became more common, and these creatures were common prizes at carnivals.  Celluloid?  Yes, plastic had not been invented yet.

Based on my research, I believe QP to be about 90 years old. 

My purpose for providing the back story of the kewpie is, I have decided to allow QP to accompany me on my journeys, as I welcome her a fresh, tiny perspective.


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