Dolls at Theriault’s Are Handled With Love and Care

By Stephanie Finnegan

For decades, Theriault’s has been synonymous with the “three R’s” of doll collecting: respect, reverence, and re­search. As every collector knows, there will come a time when a doll collection will either be given away to friends or relations or be brought to an auction house where the loved treasures will be purchased by like-minded individuals. It is a sad fact of life that a collection can also end up being discard­ed or eliminated by folks who don’t appreciate the value and significance of the dolls. That will never happen when a doll is brought to Theriault’s for its moment in the bidding sun.

Since the 1970s, Florence Theriault has had a very per­sonal and hands-on approach to how the dolls are handled in their auctioning moments. Each doll that travels to and from Theriault’s is treated like a work of art with meaning and importance to its former owner.

“Theriault’s initial years in the auction business cov­ered the gamut of antiques. Quickly, we came to realize that knowledge of your subject was the only way you could pro­tect both the seller and buyer of the objects you were present­ing. Among the objects we had sold in our early years were childhood playthings, most specifically dolls, and it was a very intriguing subject for us,” Florence Theriault explained. “Learning about dolls and their history and how they relate to the culture that produced them (and in some cases, how they impacted the culture) has been a lifelong path for me. Also, the people who collected these objects were fascinat­ing people. Different backgrounds, different social and eco­nomic roles, different reasons for collecting — yet all came together in the love of the subject and the sport of the hunt. Combine the fascination of the auction world with the love of doll history and it’s a pretty compelling world, which has never lost its appeal for me.”

Florence Theriault is well aware of how her family’s auc­tion house has grown in stature and impact in the world of doll evaluation. Her two sons are involved in the business: “Stuart Holbrook is our president and head auctioneer, and Luke Theriault is a project manager and auctioneer.” Under their watchful eyes, the dolls that Theriault’s curates and pre­pares for auctioning are given meticulous and methodical at­tention. As a result, the Maryland firm has a customer base that is loyal to them as auction attendees, as well as folks who turn to the Annapolis experts to avail themselves of their knowledge of and familiarity with the different eras, artists, and companies that have left their mark over the centuries.

“We’ve maintained a 40-year mailing list of collectors who have attended our auction, sometimes as buyers but of­ten as spectators. The list also includes people with queries about dolls. Many people contact us from this list. Others discover our website, which not only provides information about our firm and selling your dolls but also offers what I think is the most intensive research source for information about any particular doll. We’ve kept this resource available to all without charge. People can contact us via the website, by email, or best yet, in my opinion, by telephone where real people answer every call. Can you tell how old-fashioned I am?” Florence Theriault shared.

As time marches on and dolls grow older, the dolls’ clas­sification evolves too. Yesterday’s brand-new purchase will become tomorrow’s nostalgic antique. Florence Theriault understands that continual alteration of what’s a current in­novation and what’s an icon of the past. She said, “Techni­cally, an object is considered antique when it is 100 years or older. Obviously, it’s an ever-changing milepost. It seems strange to think that celebrity dolls such as Shirley Temple will be antique in just five or six years! In that way, the desig­nation of doll categories — whether antique, vintage, or the new buzzword ‘retro’ — is somewhat subjective and certainly changeable. I’ve always been fascinated by evolution rather than neat categorization. One thing leads to another, and ev­erything overlaps.”

Speaking of Shirley Temple, the precocious child star who was one of the pioneers in the profitable connec­tion between entertainment figures and licensed likenesses, the auction­ing of her dolls was a major coup for Theriault’s. It is one of the many events that helped to seal the firm’s reputa­tion as a major mover and shaker in doll history. “The auction of the child­hood dolls of Shirley Temple was cer­tainly a memorable time, not only for the objects but also for the overwhelm­ing connection that collectors felt, not only for the objects but also especially for Shirley. The January 2020 auction of the collection of Huguette Clark, the legendary recluse collector, the last of the famed Clark Gilded Age family, was pivotal for me, partly because she had been a mystery 30-year client of ours, identified by her attorney simply as ‘my unnamed client’ whenever she bid, but also because immediately thereaf­ter, COVID struck, and the world and the auction world, as we had known it, changed forever. Other auctions I have loved were themed auctions, such as ‘French Dolls in Original Folklore Costumes’ and ‘Étrennes, French Holi­day Dolls and Toys.’ Oh, and there was the Billie Nelson Tyrrell collection of Hollywood dolls memorabilia.” (Note: Sometimes Ms. Tyrrell’s name is alter­natively spelled Tyrell.)

The COVID-19 lockdowns did, in fact, shutter the doors to businesses worldwide, and the dependence upon cyber meetings and internet meet­ups became second nature. Prior to the closing down of establishments in 2020, Theriault’s was already leading the way in the world of livestreams and auctions that could be viewed and par­ticipated in remotely.

“People ‘attending’ auctions via live internet streaming began to acceler­ate about 2010, and over the years we noticed more and more people choos­ing to watch our auctions and bid from their own homes rather than onerous travel to the auction site. During the COVID year, we held livestreaming auctions only — and our goal was to present an auction with a sense of in­volvement for the collector. Education, talk about the dolls, repartee banter between the auctioneers, close-up views of dolls to the screen, and even telling people when it was time for their hot-fudge sundaes — a tradition that we had developed at our attending auctions — became part of the day’s events,” Florence Theriault said.

“Now people tell us, ‘Oh, I hate trav­el, I can enjoy your auctions sitting in my favorite chair at home (some have even figured out how to put the auc­tion on their big-screen TVs); I trust your catalogs and it’s a great way to add to my collection.’ We also offer Face­Time to collectors prior to the auction for people who want detailed viewings of particular dolls. And I offer You­Tube videos of dolls in the upcoming Marquis auctions with my commen­taries on the dolls. My son Stuart Hol­brook, our president, also has a pod­cast (‘The Curious Collector’), where he discusses dolls and doll collecting. I guess it is certainly fair to say that we have embraced new technology but in­sist on the personal touch within this,” she said.

As 2025 unfurls, the busy activity at Theriault’s continues to flourish and flow. There is never an ebb in the daily responsibilities and commitment to business etiquette and excellence. Flor­ence Theriault said, “It is a bit early to list all of our upcoming thematic auc­tions for fall 2025, but some examples include ‘The Art Doll Collection of the Late Richard Simmons,’ an outstanding collection of 1950s Madame Alexander Dolls, and the private antique collection of Dorothy McGonagle, renowned au­thor of The Dolls of Jules Nicolas Steiner.”

Everyone involved with Theriault’s is a proponent of showcasing the dolls to the best of their abilities and the best of the dolls’ personalities and prov­enances. It is a business that touches the lives of the people who are selling, bidding, buying, and saying goodbye to their possessions. Florence Theriault is the steward of these items as they be­gin the new chapters of their existenc­es. “I think of myself as a short-term ‘keeper of the dolls,’ which are on their journey from the home of one collec­tor to the home of their next,” she said. “When newspapers used to take Help Wanted ads, I always used this line — ‘If you come to work here, you’ll go home tired at night, but you’ll never go home bored.’ It always surprised me how many people were struck by those words, and it’s also probably why 80% of the Theriault staff have been here for more than 20 years. They’re not bored. It also describes me. And every day, I am grateful for the purpose my work has given my life.”

Theriault’s

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