5/26/11

Gypsy SHOPPING


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They have now been named, from the left to right: Cleo, Dolly, and Gypsy.

This time we have a photo of Gypsy aboard ship in the gift shop; this is how I've determined she's cruising the Pacific. The dolls in the shop are dolls that were very popular in the late '50s to late '60s, especially in Hawaii. The ones on the bottom shelf are Japanese composition dolls with faces coated with gofun (ground oystershell and glue). The ones on the top are Chinese.

I've got quite a few old, mid-century, Japanese dolls that my folks bought me when we lived in Hawaii. I know collectors pretty much ignore Japanese dolls, I guess thinking of them as just souvenirs. If I had the money I'd be buying them all the time. I love dolls from Asia. The colors, the clothing, the simple beauty draw me in. I'd much rather have a beautiful old Japanese Ichimatsu than a Jumeau in their ruffled finery. The little ones below are from my collection; still in decent condition considering how much I played with them.

I do recall running by the gift shop on the Matsonia. There was also a beauty salon. You didn't have a huge array of shops as current ships do (which are nothing more than shopping malls). You really weren't expected to spend your time shopping. There was too much to do outside on the deck in the glorious sun as you headed to Hawaii.

When I came back from Hawaii it was aboard a Navy ship. There were no fancy shops, movie theater, or beauty salon. There was a shipboard geedunk stand that was open for a short time each day. It was a narrow room with a walk-up window and counter. You bought candy and such from a sailor. They might have also had comic books and magazines, I don't recall. The photo here, of the Goofy comic, was aboard Gypsy's liner.

I do remember going to the shipboard library every day. It too was only open a short time and was very small, but it kept me amused for the 5 day journey. It would be nice to be in one of those old berths, the ship cutting through the waves, rocking from side to side, me reading and falling asleep. I could use a bit of that right now.

5 comments:

  1. I notice the holly to the right above her left shoulder. That could possibly indicate a (Christmas) Holiday cruise? And I'll bet the photo is good enough to examine the POST cover to determine year...

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  2. Oh, I'd like to peruse the treasures in that shop if I could step back in time for just a few moments. The Chinese dolls would be my first interest.

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  3. The Chinese dolls are quite wonderful. My best friend has several.

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  4. I have some Japanese dolls that look a lot like yours...actually only the clothes and hair look a little different. What can you tell me about them...I got them used.

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    1. They are called Ichimatsu dolls and mine date from the 1950s-60s. They are composition with a coating of gofun on their faces made from ground oyster shell and glue. These days the modern dolls are made with plastic faces. They aren't worth a lot of money, but they're lovely dollls. Congrats on acquiring them.

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