A Museum Full of Dolls

by Bela Herlong

Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! That’s what you’ll see now when you visit the Saluda County Museum —big dolls, little dolls, all kinds of dolls. You are cordially invited to come and view some very strange dolls—the Primitive ones—and some very familiar dolls—the porcelain and baby ones. Each doll has its own unique personality.

The Primitive dolls belong to Marsha Riley; the porcelain ones to her mother, Miriam Ann Martin, and the entire display has been arranged by Marsha. Both collectors have volunteered to allow dolls from their large collections to be exhibited from February through May for others to enjoy. Marsha explained that her dolls, classified as “Primitive,” are prized by collectors today and that they are all handmade and of many different types. She has chosen an eye-catching variety to represent her collection—people and animals, large and small, farmers, scarecrows, soldiers, crows, rabbits, girls, boys, schoolmarms, and many others.

These Primitive dolls are created by skilled artisans to appear as if they were made long ago during a period when dollmakers had fewer resources than they have today; therefore the name “Primitive” is fitting. Marsha pointed out one dress made from a discarded quilt and another from a wrinked piece of plaid fabric. She added that dollmakers carefully cut and shape muslin (the fabric of choice) to make the doll’s body and then they stuff it tightly, heat it slowly to harden it, and finally add features and clothing in a variety of ways.

Every creation is different from every other one, and the only limit is the mind of the creator. Rusted safety pins hold material together, a square nail stitched to a face creates a nose, and faded, wrinkled cloth, frowsy hair, and other such details create the authenticity of this particular kind of doll. Some are even named “Make Do’s” since their maker seems to have had too little material to complete the doll and mounted it from the waist up on a stick; she had to “Make Do.”

Marsha says making and selling Primitive dolls is big business, much of which is done on the internet. However, one of her many collector friends also sells dolls, and Marsha helps her host an event at her home on Hwy. 25, where all kinds of vendors show their wares and buyers from far and near come to look and purchase.

The Primitive dolls dominate the exhibit because they stand boldly and proudly on cabinets and against walls in the museum, but tucked away within the glass cabinets are the delicate porcelain dolls with their pretty faces and fine clothes and the baby dolls who seem to be quietly resting and just waiting to be rocked. These, Marsha said, are part of her mother’s large collection, some of which Marsha played with when she was a little girl. Each one has its own special story and will tug at your heart strings. She explained that her mother has a whole room in her new home where her dolls are arranged in glass cabinets along the walls—a room her father insisted on having.

The Saluda County Historical Society expresses appreciation to Marsha Riley and Miriam Ann Martin for making this exhibit possible and invites the public to come and enjoy viewing it from February through May during the hours the museum is open—ten a.m. until four p.m. Monday through Friday and ten a.m. to one p.m. on Saturday.