Graphite and Watercolor Schoolgirl Portrait: Blanch, c. 1873 kewpie doll with some nice warming to

with some nice warming to the surface of the pine

which is essentially the same as pick-up sticks)

but I think left the best of all behind

with a small clean tear along the right edge at the red shed roof

Certainly they bear a very strong resemblance to the animals of Swiss toy designer and maker Antonio Vitali (who also designed many toys produced by Creative Playthings)

Graphite and Watercolor Schoolgirl Portrait: Blanch, c. 1873 kewpie doll with some nice warming toFour of these I found together, only one of them dated on the back, locating them all I think in 1873. It seems they may each have been done by a different school girl each with a different name signed to the back, as well as a different subject named on the front. (Perhaps collected by a teacher?) A customer recently noted to me that naive drawings of this sort make her heart beat faster and the same is true for me, just pure joy, and also offering a