The Paper Doll's House of Miss Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis, aged Twelve [Hardcover]

In 1884, a remarkable twelve-year-old girl made a paper dolls house. While these were fashionable enough at the time, they were usually drawn and painted. Miss Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis, however, chose the medium of collage: scraps of wallpaper, gilded trim, colored-in cut-outs of furniture, and engravings from mail-order catalogs, all glued down unselfconsciously in book form with no regard for scale or realism. What makes the album so special is its creators stunning, innate artistry. She also populated her house with paper dolls, their delightful cut-out costumes preserved in envelopes marked with the names of the characters and their accessories stored in paper squares marked Hats and Bonnets or Umbrellas and Parasols. Eric Bomans photographs capture Miss Otiss vivid fantasy world in all its quirky splendor. Exploring the household, from the conservatory, parlor, and library to the dining room and bedrooms, the images portray a domain of astonishing color and aesthetic daring. Context is provided by period photographs depicting the era of Miss Otiss privileged Long Island life. The twelve-year-old girl grew up to become a formidable personality, a playwright, and a president of the Girl Scouts. Here, her youthful creativity is celebrated in a format guaranteed to appeal to adults and children alike.The irresistible Gilded Age collages...will fascinate a future decorator.If Mrs. Edey had followed the path suggested by her dream home, she might have become an interior designer whose style was elegant, playful and scaled for drama.Take a vibrant tour of a remarkable doll's house made in 1884 by the titular preteen aesthete. Marvel at the joyful detail of the furniture, clothes, and accoutrements, all crisply preserved in Boman's photos.Eric Boman has created a winning small world....Otis's dollhouse...has a great deal of charm, which is captured in photos that show that its creator had a strong sense of color and chose pieces and shapes that werlă!