Aangeboden ter Gelegenheid van Uw 10 Jarig Jubileum door alle Leden van: N. V. Eerste Nederlandse Poppenfabriek. Bandontwerp Illustratie's en Gedichtjes

Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1948. Hardcover. Leatherette. . Very Good. Immensely charming homemade book about working in a doll factory for a decade, part of which was in Wartime Netherlands, with actual fabric pasted on to represent the painted human figures' attire. 8vo. 22 by 18 cm. Unpaginated, 41 pages with content, including title. The front cover has a charming face of a doll head wearing a bonnet, floral and foliage pieces suggestive of the body, all created with fabric cut-outs, with just touches of paint daubs for the facial features and shadow detailing elsewhere. Because of this cover, and the mixed media of watercoloring and fabric detailing within the book, we regard this manuscript as genuine folk art, and folk art that amplifies the celebration of the doll factory that is the central thrust of the manuscript. The story is of a young woman, Margot, showing up to begin work at the factory, the small contretemps experienced starting out, the company's move to a new location. The war's devastation is alluded to, but with peace coming on the third page, it is essentially glossed over. After the war our heroine gets sick and is bedridden for many weeks, but afterward, becomes a forewoman in charge of seamstresses. The last page of the simple narrative depicts a masquerade party to celebrate her tenth anniversary with the company. Following that are painted envelopes and cards (a few cards are mounted), signed, presumably, by employees of the company. Also 15 photos, attached by metal pin clasp, showing the stuffed animals and dolls produced by the business and factory described in this celebratory narrative. These photos have printed information about the factory on their backs -- the sheaf was a marketing tool used by traveling salesmen for the business. The company depicted was merged, or taken over, by a doll factory, Boven Smilde, located in Drents (or Drenthe), we are told. This business is still around today. Condition: burn hole, 4 cm at widest, piercing leatherette on rear cover. Edge and corner wear of leatherette. Light age toning, and minor rippling, of the leaves within.