I was never a doll lover, however, twelve years ago, I wrote an English historical fiction
book that featured a French BRU doll from the 1890s. Having researched the exclusive
French Fashion Dolls of that time, I learned a lot about them. Unfortunately,
to buy an original BRU today would cost many thousands of dollars. Doll makers, however, go to great lengths to make accurate
reproductions.
A few weeks ago, I visited a second hand shop in Tasmania
and saw this reproduction BRU for $100 and decided if she was there a month
later, I would buy her.
So, yesterday, I came home with my very own repro/antique Bru
doll which had been made in Dorset, England.
From the tag attached to her wrist, I understand she is a BRU JNE 8 from a doll by Casimir Bru - French 1980. She has been painstakingly dressed and true to her origins. Her tiny shoes are of suede, and her pierced ears bear tiny pearl drop earrings.
By and by, my book, titled by my British publisher was “The
Twisting Vine”, however, that was not the title I had submitted when I wrote it,
so when I received the rights to my book back and self-published, I re-named it
“Through Glass Eyes”.
In a nutshell, it’s a saga spanning 25 years during which
time the doll’s fortunes twist and turn dramatically with its change of
ownership.
Through Glass Eyes is available for $1.00 on Amazon Kindle.
