Sunday, January 27, 2013


Girls and dolls: Eerie collection of portraits shows older women with their childhood dolls as they yearn for days gone by




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An intimate yet eerie collection of portraits has captured women over 40 with the dolls they cherished as little girls.
Photographer Vera Saltzman explores the transience of life and the inevitability of death through the eyes of the women, who, driven by nostalgia of their lost childhoods, have kept their dolls for decades: sitting on a shelf, buried in a box in a closet, locked in an attic.
The toys, some weathered from years of affection, others still in perfect condition, but all a product of their time, signify a past that is familiar yet unsettling.
The toys, some weathered from years of affection, others still in perfect condition, but all a product of their time, signify a past that is familiar yet unsettling
The toys, some weathered from years of affection, others still in perfect condition, but all a product of their time, signify a past that is familiar yet unsettling
Photographer Vera Saltzman explores the transience of life and the inevitability of death through the eyes of the women
Photographer Vera Saltzman explores the transience of life and the inevitability of death through the eyes of the women
Driven by nostalgia of their lost childhoods, the women have kept their dolls for decades: sitting on a shelf, buried in a box in a closet, locked in an attic
Driven by nostalgia of their lost childhoods, the women have kept their dolls for decades: sitting on a shelf, buried in a box in a closet, locked in an attic
An intimate yet eerie collection of portraits has captured women over 40 with the dolls they cherished as little girls
An intimate yet eerie collection of portraits has captured women over 40 with the dolls they cherished as little girls
'Sigmund Freud believed the uncanny to be something which leads us back to what is old and familiar but is at the same time 'unheimlich' or uncomfortable,' Saltzman writes.
 
'This series explores the idea of the uncanny as it manifests in a longing for youth, and a recognition of mortality.'
In the portraits, the women pose with the dolls, their faces pensive, reminiscing about days gone by, a past of comfort and security.
'Sigmund Freud believed the uncanny to be something which leads us back to what is old and familiar but is at the same time 'unheimlich' or uncomfortable,' Saltzman writes
'Sigmund Freud believed the uncanny to be something which leads us back to what is old and familiar but is at the same time 'unheimlich' or uncomfortable,' Saltzman writes
'This series explores the idea of the uncanny as it manifests in a longing for youth, and a recognition of mortality,' she says
'This series explores the idea of the uncanny as it manifests in a longing for youth, and a recognition of mortality,' she says
In the portraits, the women pose with the dolls, their faces pensive, reminiscing about days gone by, a past of comfort and security
In the portraits, the women pose with the dolls, their faces pensive, reminiscing about days gone by, a past of comfort and security
'Each doll serves as an entry point into the history of our life which is both strange and familiar,' the Canadian-based photographer explains
'Each doll serves as an entry point into the history of our life which is both strange and familiar,' the Canadian-based photographer explains
'It's hard to imagine a time and place when we would have played with these dolls. (But) as young girls we spent hours with them'
'It's hard to imagine a time and place when we would have played with these dolls. (But) as young girls we spent hours with them'
'Each doll serves as an entry point into the history of our life which is both strange and familiar,' the Canadian-based photographer explains.
'It's hard to imagine a time and place when we would have played with these dolls. (But) as young girls we spent hours with them,' she writes.
'Our friend and confident, they kept us safe at bedtime, while comforting us during stressful times.'
Those days are gone forever, but the women's beloved companions serve as a reminder, as well as a symbol of life's uncertainty.
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The women's beloved companions serve as a reminder, as well as a symbol of life's uncertainty
The women's faces are steeped in nostalgia
The women's faces are steeped in nostalgia
Saltzman said she considers the rediscovery of these doll-mementos, which lead these women to recall a past of comfort and security
Saltzman said she considers the rediscovery of these doll-mementos, which lead these women to recall a past of comfort and security
Each doll serves as a symbol of the history of our life which is both strange and familiar
Each doll serves as a symbol of the history of our life which is both strange and familiar
Some of the dolls are worn and shabby while others are in perfect condition
Some of the dolls are worn and shabby while others are in perfect condition


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