Billye Harris, Shares The Value of Dolls
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Billye Harris is an appraiser for popular TV series The Antique’s Roadshow on PBS . Billye has had a rich and varied career in the world of dolls and has sought to educate and entertain about the study of dolls and their place in art, craft and social history.
Billye joins The Doll Podcast’s Host Louisa Maxwell to discuss her career in antiques and some of her favourite dolls, she also shares her admiration for the United Federation of Doll Clubs - or UFDC for short. The UFDC is an international organisation that promotes research, education, conservation and the appreciation of dolls. Billye is an active member of the UFDC serving on the Collections Oversight Committee at their renowned doll museum in Kansas City. Her contribution to dolls was recognised when Billye Harris was awarded the UFDC’s Ralph Griffith Award of Excellence for her work promoting dolls.
Billye Harris and the PBS Antiques Roadshow Team. Image courtesy of Billye Harris.
Billye Harris actively promotes the love of dolls through UFDC events and conventions. Here she shares some doll memories with: Sammy Odin, Bradley Justice Yarbrough and a doll friends reunion with : Valerie Fogel, Marshall Martin, Craig Rosborough and Pat Blyth. Images courtesy of Billye Harris.
Billye shares her love for cloth dolls on this episode of the doll podcast. The rare Maggie Bessie cloth dolls were made in the USA by sisters Maggie and Bessie in Billye’s home state of North Carolina. Images courtesy of Billye Harris.
THE DOLL PODCAST
The Doll Podcast brings you the latest news, views and interviews from the world of Dolls. Join us as we get up close and personal with doll experts, designers, creators, and collectors celebrating antique and modern Dolls
The Doll Podcast is presented by Photo Journalist Louisa Maxwell who is fascinated by dolls and their wardrobes as they chart social history in miniature. She has written for Doll Magazine and and presented features on vintage fashion and toys for the Britain’s BBC TV and Radio, ITV and Chanel Four Television.
"I first became fascinated by dolls as a child when my mother gave me her favourite childhood companion a bisque doll. This has been the foundation for my quest to find out more about these dolls and the lives of the children that played with them. During my own childhood I was fascinated by Sindy and Barbie with their fabulous homes and wardrobes. These dolls charted not only fashion history but my own history and this nostalgia continues to fascinate collectors as many wish to find that toy that brings back the magic of child hood."