A Nancy Ann Storybook Doll from the 1940s. These small dolls were the brainchild of Nancy Ann Abbott (last photo), an unsuccessful Hollywood actress who turned her hand to doll making during the Great Depression. Between 1937 and 1965, Abbott's factory in San Francisco turned out millions of these little bisque dolls, notable for their hand-painted expressions, mohair hair-dos, and lavish outfits. At around $.65 each, little girls (and other aficionados) could collect them all! Cute, but vaguely menacing. Henry Darger would have loved them...
A Nancy Ann Storybook Doll from the 1940s. These small dolls were the brainchild of Nancy Ann Abbott (last photo), an unsuccessful Hollywood actress who turned her hand to doll making during the Great Depression. Between 1937 and 1965, Abbott's factory in San Francisco turned out millions of these little bisque dolls, notable for their hand-painted expressions, mohair hair-dos, and lavish outfits. At around $.65 each, little girls (and other aficionados) could collect them all! Cute, but vaguely menacing. Henry Darger would have loved them...
