I felt the house calling me but had to wait three years until the owner got realistic with the price,” says Silvester. I used to come here when it was an antique store and thought it would be a perfect spot for the dolls. It took me two years to restore both the interior and exterior, but I always wanted to save an historical home. “I bought the house nine years ago, and the shop has been open for seven. But Silvester, who has restored numerous houses including the 1800s Italianate home where she, the doll shop, and hospital reside, can fix practically anything. Needless to say, they did not last long although today, an antique wax figure in good condition can cost a collector anywhere between five hundred to two thousand dollars. But while they had the advantage of being shatter-proof, unlike porcelain, they were easily crushed or scratched and when subject to extreme temperatures, could melt. Wax dolls were fashionable during the late 1700s to the early 1900s and were prized because of their realistic faces, which could be tinted to match human skin tones. She’s in pretty good shape, but I have to restore the body,” says Silvester, proprietor of Calling All Dolls, a Doll Shop and Doll Hospital in Cobalt, Connecticut. In those days they poured wax over the papier mache to preserve it. Her shoulder plate and head are papier mache. Her arms, legs, and feet are hand-carved wood, and her eyes are glass. Her personal collection consists of over 200, with the oldest dating back to 1860.
To say that Renee Silvester loves dolls is an understatement.
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