In 1938, New York-based painter and sculptress Dewees Cochran gained attention for creating portrait dolls that closely reproduced the features, hair, and complexion of real people. Working from life, written descriptions, or photographs, she used conventional sculptor’s tools alongside dental instruments to capture fine details. The finished dolls ranged from fourteen to twenty-four inches tall and took about five weeks to complete. Side-by-side comparisons of the dolls with photographs of the real subjects were nearly indistinguishable.
Reproducing features, expression, complexion, and even freckles, the doll’s face presents a remarkable likeness.
Note how the artist has captured the personality of the child in a tiny figure less than two feet tall.
Every detail of the sitter’s costume is copied in the diminutive garments, which are specially made for Miss Cochran by a skilled seamstress.
In this process she uses several dental tools, in addition to scalpels and regular sculptors’ aids.
The mold is being filled with the special composition material from which the head is to be cast. This produces a virtually unbreakable head.
Dolls are from fifteen to twenty-four inches high, depending on the size of the child.
