15″ Porcelain Polly by Susan Krey. Polly is the first doll in Ms. Krey’s Polly’s Tea Party Collection.
Polly came with the following story from Ashton-Drake:
” You’d hardly recognize her! It’s Polly, the former tomboy, all dressed up in frilly white for her very first tea party-and only her most special friends are coming.
“Polly” has taken down the tea and sugar, put the kettle on, and set her table with a little lace doily and her own set of china. Fresh flowers from the garden make a wonderful centerpiece. Best of all, Mommy has given “Polly” the little flowered china teapot that she played with as a little girl. Now “Polly” knows the party will be special! To learn “proper etiquette” before her real guest arrive, “Polly” brings her favorite dolls and teddy bear to sit at her table, then practices “pouring tea.” Playing the gracious hostess, she looks after her pretend guests. “Care for for a cookie, Bear?” she asks. “How do you take tea, Raggerty Ann? One lump, or two?” (Polly” isn’t quite sure what “one lump” means, but Mommy says it’s the right thing to say!)
Through her toy playmates seem to take no notice, the scrumptious smell of gingerbread cookies drifting in from the kitchen reminds “Polly” that it’s almost noon. My giidness! Her friends will soon be here!So, teapot in hand, she eagerly awaits the arrival of her friends (Lizzie, Lucy, Annie, and her other teaparty guest).
When artist Susan Krey conceived the idea for a collection of dolls entitled Polly’s Tea Party, she became fascinated with the interaction of little girls playing together, practicing old-fashioned courtesies as part of growing up. “Polly”, the first issue in this collection, introduces us to the charming little hostess who will be the focal point of this unusual collection.
Ms. Krey’s “Polly” has the alert, fresh-scrubbed look of a little girl who has just given up her tomboyish ways. In the tilt of her poseable head, the precise modeling of her hands that cradle the teapot, the delicacy of her fancy dress, and her confident stance, we see a little girl on her way to womanhood, eager to please her friends.
In serving tea. “Polly” practices a time-honored ritual that has survived as a sign of good breeding for 250 years. The practice of “taking tea” became fashionable in the 18th century when the beverage was first introduced into Europe from the Orient. By the end of the 19th century, it had developed into an elaborate social ritual. A woman’s status in society as well- were often determined by how she looked and acted when she invited friends in for tea.
It is this tradition that little girls, beautifully dressed and on their best behavior, reflected as they hold a tea party of their very own. In her very first doll design for Knowles China Company, Susan Krey creates “Polly” as the perfect introduction to this nostalgic world of wood manners, seen through the eyes of children. As an important first issued by a respected artist, “Polly” is destined to be a memorable addition to your collection, and-in the great tradition of doll collecting-a pottential heirloom that will delight generations to come.”
I purchased the doll in 1991 from Ashton Drake Galleries. Polly was the first in the series. The next was her little sister and then a friend.
