This post is a sequel to the story of Cornelia Leavenworth Bonnell from former editor Charles E. Bunnell recently compiled Bonnells & Bunnells of Note (And a few Burnells & Burrells for Good Measure). The complete work is available on Internet Archive at this link: Charlie Bunnell's Bonnells & Bunnells of Note
As explained in earlier posts on this blog, Cornelia Leavenworth Bonnell founded the Door of Hope in China. The women and girls who found refuge there helped support it by making and selling dolls, which have become highly collectible. Two of the footnotes cited in the original blog post on Claudia Leavenworth Bonnell related to these dolls. Charlie's transcriptions are included on this post.
An internet search will reveal many photos of Door of Hope Dolls. None of them will be posted here due to the potential for copyright infringement.
Door of Hope Dolls are highly prized by doll collectors as they are beautifully made and each doll is unique. In 2017 Doll Collector's Magazine published an online article on them that is well worth reading: CHINA’S DOOR OF HOPE MISSION DOLLS It says Pearl Buck volunteered at Door of Hope in 1909!!!
Theriault's (the dollmasters) made and posted an amazing YouTube video Sicard Collection of Door of Hope Dolls at Auction July 15, 2015 . The bride and groom dolls featured are truly amazing. Seminar on Door of Hope Dolls with Michael Canadas and Judi Smart offers a chance to look at more wonderful examples. It's easy to see why people want to collect them.
"Identifying Door of Hope Dolls" is an article by Mary Sicard in the 1983 Doll Collector's Manual, published by The Doll Collectors of America in 1983.
"Dolls With a Mission: The Door of Hope Mission and It's Dolls, An Illustrated Guide by Jean M. Kestel (2013) isn't sold on Amazon, but might be available from a library.
Footnote 7: Nora's Antique Dolls & Collectibles (Note: this web page is no longer available, but this is Charlie's transcription.)
Nora’s Antique Dolls and Collectibles
DOOR OF HOPE DOLLS: Cornelia Bonnell, an American missionary in China helped to found the Door of Hope Receiving Home in 1901. She was appalled when observing the sale of female servants, by their owners, to wealthy owners for the purpose of becoming concubines. She started the home, with the help of officials, to keep the girls off the streets and help them learn a trade. The girls were taught sewing skills and dressmaking. The Chinese Door of Hope heads and hands (after about 1914) were carved from pearwood by expert woodcarvers from the Ningpo area which was close to Shanghai where the DOH home was first started. Earlier dolls are distinguished by the absence of hands, and some were also taller than the later dolls. The dolls were then finished by the girls in the Door of Hope home. The heads were attached to stuffed cloth bodies and dressed meticulously to represent various types of Chinese characters, ages and stations. The cloth, silks and cottons were provided by various bearby textile companies. The mission received strong local support with very little money received from overseas. Local police often brought runaways to the home for refuge. Years later, the home was divided into two homes - the Door of Hope Home for older girls and the Love School for girls under 13 years of age. By 1940, 25 different dolls were being produced and others were made on special order. However, production was sporadic as supplies became limited. In 1949, when the Communists took over China, the DOH mission re-located to Taipei, Formosa, but few dolls seem to have been made there. The girls earned from 3 to 5 cents an hour for their work and could complete about one doll a month. It is estimated that in the 48 years the Door of Hope mission existed, less than 50,000 dolls were made. The dolls were made mainly for tourists, but many of the Chinese missionaries distributed them to their own countries including China, England, Australia, the United States, and Africa.
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http://dahlidoll.com/Dahli/celebritydollMJ.html (Note: this web page is no longer available. This is Charlie's transcription.)
DahliDolls.com
In 1901, Cornelia Bonnell opened a mission called " Door of Hope Receiving Home". This after she was shocked to find young girls dressed in silk and jewels parading down the streets of China. Girls were being displayed in front of hundreds of men in order that they might be sold as concubines, and soon discarded when they were no longer a good investment. Miss Bonnell was appalled and decided to help these girls and other similar predicaments. With the help of officials, she opened "Door of Hope Receiving Home". Girls learning skills, made dolls in order to support themselves. These dolls helped many children.
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