Nancy Ann Doll-Operetta Series-Red Mill-1940s-Orig Box/Wrist/PriceTags-Jos Horne

Description

Sweet, little Nancy Ann Storybook doll from the Operetta Series and specifically the operetta called The Red Mill. The doll has a blond wig and is dressed in a white dress with blue trim as well as a Dutch-type hat. The operetta takes place in Holland and a Red Mill is one of the major scenes. You can read a summary of the play and the film on Wikipedia but it was first introduced in 1906 and revived in 1945. The film was made in 1927. This doll dates to the 1940s so was probably done in conjunction with the revival of the play. The operetta is essentially what we would call a musical today. This doll is likely to represent the lead character Gretchen in her bride's dress (played by Marion Davies in the film), but nothing states that.
The doll comes in the traditional red dotted Nancy Ann Story book box with the original sticker on the side showing the doll is #309 in the Nancy Ann Storybook series. Also included is her wrist tag and she has her original price tag from the wonderful Joseph Horne Department Store of Pittsburgh, PA showing she cost .95 back in the 1940s which was pretty expensive given that it was during the World War II Era. See description above for condition of all items.
All the Nancy Ann Storybook dolls are precious, but this little one represents so many bits of American history as well. The Nancy Ann doll story is fascinating by itself (see the website NancyAnnDolls) for more. The doll also illustrates a now little known operetta and musical which was very popular at the time she was made as well as showing the type of items that would have been sold at Joseph Horne Department Store. One person on The Department Store Museum's website had this to say about Joseph Horne:
I had the privilege to work at Joseph Horne Co. selling men's clothing and fragrances during the early 80s in their Downtown Flagship Store. What a class store! New York's famous department stores had nothing on Hornes. From the gilded ceilings on the first floor to the blue clouds handpainted on the ceilings of the elevators and the crisp linens and immaculate place settings in the Tea Room, it was a beautiful, classy place to shop and dine, especially during Horne's annual spring flower show or at Christmastime.
Joseph Horne's merchandise was the best too. From Cartier watches and Yves St. Laurent Rive Gauche in the Fourth Floor's Galleries of Fashion to Jaeger British Sportswear and, of course, Hornes' own handipped chocolates, it was first class all the way.
And who could forget Horne's annual Symphony Fashion Gala? The fashion fete was truly one of the high points in Pittsburgh's social season for many, many years. And to my knowledge, hasn't been replicated since.
It's truly a shame that today's young people never had the thrill of dressing up to go Downtown to shop and spend the day at Hornes. Gone are the days of real customer service, store charge plates, doormen, tissue paper and boxes w/each purchase and next day parcel delivery not to mention smiling well dressed and groomed salespeople. Today's big box stores are nothing in comparision. Those were the days!
Steven M. Plavny
-- Former sales associate and loyal patron of Joseph Horne Co.
She's a little treasure of American history!
All prices are in US dollars. I'll be happy to combine multiple purchases into one package to save you on shipping costs. However, in 2020 the USPS added an extra fee for any package bigger than 12x12x12 inches so it's often more cost effective to keep the items in separate boxes to avoid the oversized box cost. I'll try to check it both ways and give you the best price. If an oversized box is needed for any package, FedEx is often the most cost effective way to send it and I'll use them instead if that's the case. Please use the eBay shipping calculator to determine the cost of shipping. If you would like a package shipped by a method not shown, let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate you. Please examine the pictures carefully as they are part of the item description.
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