Much of our playful story, along with many of its photographs, would be folded into the version that Doubleday published in 1957. The dramatic highlight in our story came when Edith and the bears tumbled from a high ladder, but bravely climbed back up again. Soon they turned into mock-ups for our very own children’s story book.ĭare’s mid-Manhattan apartment opened onto a private garden terrace that was accessed by stepping up and over her windowsill.
Like all children, she longed for a stable family and lasting friendships while expressing a universal fear of abandonment.ĭare, who was both a professional model and fashion photographer, quickly began photographing the story lines we were imagining for Edith and the two bears. Edith’s personality was both timid and impetuous. Bear would be a lovable, if slightly grumpy, father figure who smoked a pipe while reading his newspaper, and Little Bear was a pesky, but endearing, ursine brother. Edith – The Lonely Doll Dare WrightĪfter Dare’s brother, Blaine, surprised her with two teddy bears, Dare and I began imagining adventures for the trio. Edith’s tiny ears were pierced for gold hoop earrings just like the ones Dare wore, and suddenly she looked very much like Dare herself. The colors clashed with Edith’s original, curly auburn wig, so Dare fashioned a new one with straight, blond hair and swept it into a ponytail. Dare loved pink and white gingham, and in 1954 she made Edith a new cotton dress with a crisp, white apron. īy the time I was six, I was spending most weekends with Dare and we began dressing Edith in a variety of outfits. Her felt face and body were much more welcoming than my own plastic and china dolls, and my thumbs traced the places on Edith’s arms where the felt had worn away three decades earlier. She had been Dare’s favorite childhood plaything, and wore a beautiful orange organdy dress. I first held Dare’s Edith doll when I was three years old, well before The Lonely Doll was published. Without an understanding of the era in which the book was written, when most children were spanked and little girls wore short dresses, a single out-of-context photograph has become an easy target.Ī Spanking In “The Lonely Doll” Behind The Scenes - The Real Story Bear spanks Edith for being naughty, and are critical of Edith’s short dress that shows her petticoat. They point to a scene in the book where Mr. Some people (very few of whom were growing up when the book was first published in the 1950s) have implied that The Lonely Doll’s text and images expose a darkly troubled side of the author. By Brook Ashley, Dare’s Goddaughter Busted! Lipstick On The Mirror
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