This picture is the one that started it. I was at an auction with my dear friend Bonnie. We had purchased a little glassware, some photos and such, but then they brought “HER” onto the stage, ready to auction off. She must have been tucked away somewhere because we had done an early viewing as usual. In any case, she came up and the auctioneer just called it an ‘old print.’ But she is much more than that. To me, she has an innocence, almost the look of Betty Boop, with a sweet face, tousled blonde hair and, of course, sensuous body. But it leaves a lot to the imagination as well. You know she is without clothing, but there is still a mystery about it.

I had to have her! Bonnie had a huge smile on her face because she knows that when I want something, I rarely back down. But luckily, the other bidder did not know that and I won her at a very reasonable price. I would have gone much higher if need be.

I have often wondered about her. Was she a professional model? Perhaps a starlet? Or the girlfriend of the photographer? Was this her first ‘photo shoot?’ Or are there many more pictures of her out there? Whatever the circumstances, she is at home now. She hangs proudly in our ‘deco room’ for all to enjoy!

While checking out an antique mall in southeastern Wisconsin, I picked up a copy of the Antique Week Newspaper.  The issue made mention of an auction in California, at Michaan’s Auctions by the Bay. One of the items they’ll be selling is the Star Maiden sculpture, created by Alexander Stirling Calder. It is fantastic! It was created for the 1915 Panama-Pacific-International Exposition, and there were originally 94 versions of this sculpture. I learned that Audrey Marie Munson was the model Calder used. In fact, she posed for three-quarters of the statues used at the Expo. Munson began posing for sculptors in New York when she was just 15 years old! In 1916.

This incredible bronze sculptor, “Star Maiden”, is 54 inches tall, and estimated at a value of between $12,000 and $18,000. The auction is June 21^st. I doubt that hubby would allow Bonnie and I to head to California; he knows my paddle power too well.

She moved to California and appeared in four silent films. The first was “Inspiration”, the story of a sculptor’s model, and it featured the first time that a woman appeared fully nude on film. It turns out that the censors were reluctant to ban the film, fearing they would also have to ban Renaissance art. Her films were a success in the box office but the reviews were polarized. Only a single print of one of her films, “Purity”, has survived.

But her story continues on! She moved back to New York in 1919 and lived with her mother in a boarding house owned by Dr. Walter Wilkins. Wilkins fell in love with her, murdering his wife, Julia, so he could be available to marry. However, Munson and her mother had already moved to Canada. The negative publicity generated by the case ended Munson’s career as a model and actress. Wilkins was tried, found guilty and sentenced to the electric chair. He hanged himself in the prison cell before the sentence could be carried out. In 1932 Munson was ordered into a psychiatric facility after showing signs of mental illness. She remained until her death 65 years later at the age of 104! (Credit is given to Wikipedia for this information.)

I found it to be a fascinating story and understand there is a book called “American Venus” with more on her life. I’ll be searching for a copy and perhaps you will too.

Lady head vases first appeared just before World War II, but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that they reached their peak in popularity with many florists using the primarily porcelain or ceramic vases to promote flower sales. By the end of the 1960’s nearly every home had these little beauties.

Collector books estimate that while more than 10,000 lady head vase designs were created, due to their market saturation and their fragile nature not nearly enough have survived — making these original lady head vases highly collectible. Some vases, like the most prized celebrity or character likenesses, can bring in over $1,000.

Most lady head vase collectors will tell you they are drawn to these pretty ladies because they appreciate the feminine qualities of poise, fashion and beauty which these vases depicted. But fans of femininity need not hold their breath for such rare elusive ladies — they can begin collecting these timeless treasures right now, with the new lady head vases.

One such hot collectible is the Cameo Girls™ Lady Head Vase series.

Inspired by the legacy of the original head vases the The Cameo Girls® Lady Vases Collection from United Design™ are individually created and accessorized to have the same charm and appeal as the vintage head vases.

Like Gene Dolls, each head vase is based on a specific lady — and each has her own story. Collectors follow six feminine and fascinating women as they might have appeared over two centuries of American fashion, beginning in 1809.

Each lady is created from an original sculpture made by their talented design staff which is hand cast in bonded porcelain, then meticulously hand painted. These pretty ladies differ from their vintage counterparts in several ways:

* They are not at all like the fragile old porcelain heads, as bonded porcelain is like resin making these lady heads very heavy and solid.

* On each head of a Cameo Girls® vase there is a very narrow “hole” with a removeable glass tube in it. This design is used so as not to damage the piece by holding water for fresh flowers.

* Each of these lady head vases is designed to be collectible. They are created in limited numbers &/or have a retired date. Several of the Cameo Girls® are numbered and come with a certificates to ensure their status as collectibles.

So, for the past six years that Cameo Girls® have been made, they’ve enjoyed quite a run. However, there have been some changes at the company which have thrown retailers and collectors into a spin.

Originally, the ladies were designed by Debby Kaspari. But Kaspari is no longer designing Cameo Girls®. Kaspari’s last designs were released in January and June 2006 (and all her designs are now retired).

Those who have seen the more recent designs are less than thrilled, which has apparently lead Encore (who now owns United Designs and the Cameo line) to say that the designs for the January 2007 releases are being re-worked and re-sculpted. This will mean a delay before retailers and then collectors themselves will be able to see the new designs. As they say, “Stay Tuned”.

If the resin-type of lady head vases do not appeal to you, or you are waiting to see what Encore will do with the new releases, there are other modern head vase creations to consider.

There are the reproductions in ceramic, which may not seem to have much value at the moment, but are cute and practical (and if they are not valued much now, they may a huge value later — like the original head vases, little of them left may make them hot years later!)

And there are other modern lady head vases — some much more modernized than others:

Let’s Face It Girls! vases

Bella Casa by Ellen Williams

Tropical Ladies of terra cotta

Party Girls to get crafty with

The definition of the word ‘bust’ can encompass many things. When implemented as a noun, we’re either referring to ‘a sculpture representing a person’s upper body’, or simply ‘the human chest’. In the case of DC Direct’s Women of the DC Universe sculpture line, we’ve pretty much got ample quantities of both.

Based on the artwork of Adam Hughes, the Women of the DC Universe series showcases some of the most well-known heroines in comics in miniature form, including Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Adam Hughes is known for his classy, art nouveau take on comics, but more notably, rendering more-than-respectable bosoms on his female characters. Within comic fandom, you can basically draw a wobbly stick figure with a couple of watermelons glued to it and you’ll be hailed as ‘an amazing talent!’ by at least one industry magazine. Some of us are more discerning, but some of us also have had girlfriends that weren’t imaginary Drow Elf princesses. Adam Hughes is a talented artist though, his produce-aisle women included. The busts themselves are sculpted by John G. Mathews, and while they’re not entirely true to Hughes’ original artworks, they’re still effective pieces of sculpture.

More than being an excuse to make a bunch of statues with slammin’ racks, the Women of the DCU line is another example of an artist-centric line of products by DC Direct, who are giving more respect and honor to comic artists than has ever been given before. They’ve been giving fairly consistent kudos to original ideas and interpretations of their valuable character properties, and I commend them for it. But mostly, slammin’ racks. When the identity and recognition of their characters is what can make or break their success, it’s a bold move to allow so much freedom to their artists and writers.

This series of busts is cast in porcelain, and hand-numbered in quantities of about 3000 each. Each bust measures about 6 inches tall, and that includes 2 inches of base. For being in such a miniature scale, roughly about 1/8th of actual size, the busts have consistently exceeded my expectations. It’s a rare case when the box art, which features imagery of professionally painted prototypes, pales in comparison to the actual product. The busts are cleanly painted, well-packed and lightweight. They only measure about 2 or 3 inches across also, so there’s plenty of room for them on your collectible shelf. Who doesn’t like strong, empowered women? Who doesn’t like them when they happen to be easy on the eye? I don’t hear any guys complaining about feeling emasculated by the perfect fantasy physique of Superman!

Beginning this past January, DC has been releasing a bust every two months, beginning with Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, and just released this week, Catwoman. The rest of the year will be filled out with Hawkgirl, Harley Quinn and Supergirl, each arriving every two months. They’re all still fairly available for roughly 40 bucks each, and if you can justify them to your girlfriend or your mom, they’re really worth it. You know what? Don’t even justify them, because girls never listen about this stuff. Just tell them that you’re paying homage to a literary character, and if she can’t respect books, then you don’t need her. Catwoman will keep you safe and warm, and she’s clearly rich, with that diamond she’s smuggling into her… uh… safe deposit box.

Forget I said anything.