Helen Rowe Bergtrom: Two Dolls
My maternal grandmother, Helen Rowe Bergtrom, died on Sunday at the age of 96. Grandma Helen was not only a talented painter (my readers may recall that I used to have her self-portrait as my blog's image), but also a gifted seamstress: she quilted, she embroidered, and she made dolls. I'll post some of her watercolors next week. Today, though, I've put up some images of two Victorian dolls she made approximately thirty years ago for my sister and me.
A few years ago, I had the dolls restored at a local doll's hospital. This one required only minor work (loose stitching repaired and the yarn wig retucked).
The hairstyle is fairly elaborate:
The dolls even have (handsewn) corsets...
The second doll's silk skirt had to be almost entirely restored (the floral pattern is the original cloth).
She has a chignon:
