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HITTY, A SMALL WOODEN DOLL
HITTY, A SMALL WOODEN DOLL

PRESENTED BY COLLEEN

April 3, 2000

Hitty June and Hitty Claire are busy getting ready for the Hitty program. Hitty Lorraine is busy "supervising". They hope you will enjoy the presentation.

Hitty was inspired by a small peg wooden white ash doll that was found in a New York City antique shop in the 1920's. She was purchased by Rachel Field and Dorothy Lathrop who then proceeded to write and illustrate the award winning "Hitty Her First Hundred Years" which was published in 1929. The original Hitty now resides in the Stockbridge Massachusetts Library.

This is a picture of the original Hitty (thanks, Bill Fifer)!

The following is a re-enactment of some of the events that take place in the book...the dolls are from my collection and the words taken from the book are indicated by quotation marks.

In the book, Hitty (short for Mehitabel) writes of her life's adventures, which began "over a hundred years ago in the State of Maine in the dead of winter". She was carved by an "Old Peddlar" and given as a gift to her first owner Phoebe Preble.

Hitty June begins her memoirs in that small New York City antique shop.

After being carved by the "Old Peddlar" and given in Phoebe, Hitty Rose recalls her first dress; "it was...of buff calico strewn with small red flowers and I thought it very fine indeed."

One of Hitty's adventures find her "hoisted into the air by my waistband....and found myself in a great untidy crow's nest at the top of a pine tree...this will certainly be the end of me", Hitty Rose thought.

Hitty continues to chronicle her adventures from preparing for a sea voyage...

...to becoming lost in India where she meets a snake charmer.

Hitty's second owner is 5-year old Little Thankful...daughter of missionaries. Here is Hitty Ruth admiring Little Thankful's sampler with roses, doves and a weeping willow....isn't it lovely!

While living with Little Thankful, Hitty attends a birthday party where she is surrounded with "a china on one side and an enormous beauty of dazzling complexion on the other." Small Hitty Ruth felt quite out of place and "felt their eyes regarding me with disapproval."

Hitty Nell wants to learn to dance but found "my spirit was willing enough but my pegs were not", she sighs.

Poor Hitty...she went on a hayride and becomes buried in the straw and later tossed into the hayloft. Her only friends were the mice.

After many years in the hayloft, Hitty is finally rescued and travels to New Orleans where she goes to live with 2 elderly ladies. Hitty is redressed as a bride in the "finest cottons ever woven" and put on display for all to see and admire. Here is Hitty Bella Bride and Andrea who is not sure that he is the marryin' kind.

Hitty's adventures continue until eventually she finds her way to the small antique shop in New York City where Hitty Claire, Hitty June and their friend, Mimi, gaze into their Victorian gazing ball dreaming of the "many more adventures that await me."

Hitty has inspired many gifted and talented wood-carving artists to create their own version of Hitty. INGEBORG TINIUS is one of my favorites. In addition to Ingeborg's Hitty dolls, she has also created Mimi and Cosette, friends of Hitty...aren't they lovely! You can obtain information about these dolls from Ingeborg...just click on her name. Here are Mimi and Cosette.

Here are Sophie and Sarah, wood carved sisters probably made sometime in the 1940's, reunited at last. I love their wood carved hair.

Here are 3 miniature Hittys by Ingeborg all ready to celebrate Easter in their little Easter wagon pulled by their friend, Billie Bear.

I plan to carve my own Hitty from one of Judy Brown's Hitty kits...SOMEDAY.

There are many wonderful Hitty links and here are a few I invite you to visit...

JEAN LOTZ' HITTY PAGES

...and my friend Jenny who makes beautiful Hitty clothes...

HITTY'S PRETTIES.

My Hittys and I thank you for letting us share some time with you today. If you would like further information about Hitty my email address is dolls50265@aol.com - please feel free to contact me.


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