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| Hitty Friends discover Hitty in a variety of ways. Many of us read Hitty, Her First Hundred Years as children, while others find out about the book through their own children. Some Hitty friends find out about The Original Hitty Doll through their doll collecting friends, or a chance enounter with a Hitty enthusiast. However one meets Hitty, we have found that there is certain basic Hitty information that most Hitty friends are eager to discover. We have put together this FAQ as a starting point. |
A Beginner’s Guide To Hitty Most Frequently Asked Questions
| 1 Who is Hitty? |
| 2 What is Hitty, Her First Hundred Years about? |
| 3 What kind of doll is the Original Hitty? |
| 4 What does the Original Hitty look like? What are the Real Hitty's measurements? |
| 5 What kind of wood is Hitty made of? |
| 6 How old is the Original Hitty? Who made her? |
| 7 Where is the Original Hitty now? |
| 8 Where can I buy a Hitty? |
| 9 How can I make my own Hitty? |
| 10 Who makes Hitty clothes? Are they difficult to make? Where can I get Hitty clothes patterns? |
| 11 What scale is Hitty? Will dollhouse furniture and accessories work for Hitty? Does she fit in a dollhouse? How can I find things for my Hitty doll? |
| 12 What are some Hitty-related sites? Where can I find an email list or on-line group to discuss Hitty? |
1 Who is Hitty?
The name Hitty, (a nickname of Mehitabel), basically refers to two things. First, Hitty is a 6.25-inch, peg-jointed antique wooden doll, purchased by Author Rachel Field and Artist Dorothy Lathrop in an antique shop in the 1920s. The name Hitty was attached to the doll's underclothes when she was purchased. Second, the term Hitty also refers to the Newberry Award Winning 1929 book, Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, written by Rachel Field and illustrated by Dorothy Lathrop, detailing the imaginary adventures of the doll they had purchased.
2 What is Hitty, Her First Hundred Years about?
Hitty, Her First Hundred Years is a book of a little over 200 pages, (depending on the edition,) also available in unabridged audio, detailing the adventures imagined by Field in the first one-hundred years of Hitty’s life, from her creation to her purchase by Field and Lathrop in the 1920s. It is written in first-person by Hitty herself at night, in an antique shop, as she describes her extensive travels, adventures, and her experiences with many different people. It is somewhat episodic story that captivates children and adults, and is still in print and readily available.
Hitty speaks in an adult fashion, but in the story she identifies most strongly with children and has a preference for children's attention, as well as a sympathy with the motivations of the children she encounters. She has a wise and patient tone, and her observations show an alternate perspective of the world. She is, after all, a six-inch wooden doll, and she makes very frequent references to her abilities, limitations and how her attributes affect her situation. Her observations are often wry or quirky, coming from a very literal doll perspective, and she spends a great deal of time discussing the behaviors of the people around her, and comparing them to other time periods and places. She also frequently tells of her feelings, her fears or delights, as she is imperiled or rescued, receives a new dress, or observes some wonderful event. The action in the story (as she is shipwrecked, encounters a cobra, etc.) is well-written and exciting.Editorial -The one thing some parents may be concerned about in Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, is that on several occasions Hitty encounters people from many cultures, classes, religions, and races, and as the book was written in 1929, her vocabulary is very different from what we would use today. I think it is a good idea for parents to discuss this when they encounter these sections of the book, but I think the relevant point in Hitty in regard to these matters is beyond the vocabulary limitations. Hitty was written during a time period marked by great social progress, and it is unfair to assume that Rachel Field was unaware of social issues, let alone that she was bigotted. It is clear in Hitty that the opposite, in fact, was true. Hitty makes interested, sympathetic observations of the people she encounters, often in contrast to the behavior of the people she is in company with. For instance, when two children at the beginning of the story drop Hitty in their fear as they flee an encounter with a group of Native American women, Hitty observes that the women are not the fearsome monsters that the children have imagined, but, "looked very fat and kind..." Hitty lives with a pacifist northern Quaker family during the Civil War, but also discusses the anguish of a daughter of the family who is engaged to a boy who is away fighting. She later travels through the South and meets many people who had lived through the war, and the story realistically depicts the human complexity of the event with great sensitivity in the wide variety of perspectives. Hitty's depictions of the people around her are colorful and sometimes involve written dialect, and can contain elements of stereotype and ignorance, but it is inaccurate to say that Hitty is not "politically correct," which is occasionally stated in book reviews, as if it should be considered a *positive* attribute of Hitty, or any other story, to be considered "politically incorrect." In fact, Hitty was
the epitome of liberalism at the time it was written. The illustrator, Dorothy Lathrop, was known as an animal rights activist half a century before this was popular in the mainstream.
The main theme of Hitty's story is her extensive travels and encounters
with many kinds of people all over the world; children, women, and men
of many cultures, races, religions, social classes, and time periods.
This, combined with her attitudes toward those people, and her own evolution
of thought over her long life, suggests that Hitty was
written with a strong consciousness of and belief in the ideals of social
progress. Hitty begins her life in Maine with the Puritan Preble family,
and she refers to this origin throughout her life, but she brings it up to make non-judgemental contrasts to the present, and to changes in behavior and customs in different times and places. She is always open-minded
about the people she encounters, and she speaks with sympathy, understanding,
respect, interest, and frequently with gratitude of those she encounters,
and always with tolerance and patience even toward those who are unkind. She is is often afraid of new people, but inevitably discovers they are just like the other people she has known, in spite of surface differences.
She shows a distinct lack of racial or class prejudice, and the most important factor
in her reaction to anyone is how the person treats her, or how they treat
others. While cautious parents may wish to review Hitty before
reading it with their kids, it is a mistake to suggest it is politically
or socially questionable. In fact, I think Hitty is an excellent resource
to teach cultural and linguistic relativism across the world and across
time periods, and particularly in the context of social progress in the
late industrial revolution and during the Civil War. Other works of Field's,
such as Hepatica Hawks and Calico Bush, support my feeling
that Field was a socially conscious, progressive and forward-thinking
author. Here is an Academic Paper that offers an excellent feminist reading of Hitty. |
3 What kind of doll is the Original Hitty?
The Original Hitty doll is small at 6.25 inches tall, entirely made of wood, and appears to have been carved from White Ash wood, rather than Mountain Ash, as described in the book. She seems to be a one-of-a-kind doll, probably made at home. She is peg jointed, meaning that her arms and legs are jointed to her body with long pegs, and move in tandem. She has black hair, similar to an old china doll, and blue eyes, and was originally covered over her entire surface with light-toned paint. She has painted black boots of a distinctive angular shape and white painted stockings to the knee. Much of her paint is worn away, notably in patches on her face, and she has a dark patina. For extensive details and photos of her physical makeup, please refer to our Real Hitty pages, linked from our Hitty.org Home Page.
4 What kind of wood is the Original Hitty made from?
A Hitty Friend has stated that the original Hitty appears to be made from White
Ash wood, rather than Mountain Ash as the story goes in the book, and had this
further to say:
" Unless one cuts a sliver of her wood and examines the cells under a microscope,
we can not be sure. Most Mountain Ash wood has very irregular dark lines, unlike
white ash wood which has very regular alternating light colored wood with darker,
open pore grain. When I examined the original doll, in the area inside her hip
joints where there was no paint, and on areas of her face where the paint had
worn off, it appeared to me that the wood was far more like white ash than mountain
ash. The two "ash" woods are from entirely different families. Mountain
ash is a member of the "Cherry" fruit tree family. Check any Audubon
or other guide to Eastern American trees. BUT: I've also carved Hittys from
small limbs pruned from mountain ash trees, and they have a far more regular
grain pattern showing that is much closer to white ash grain than mountain ash
cut from a larger trunk or limb. I do believe the original doll is white ash,
but can not say so categorically."
Others have suggested that some parts of Hitty appear to have been made of pine.
White Ash, which is very hard to carve, is usually considered 'authentic' for
Hitty, as is Mountain Ash, which is very hard to obtain. But Hitty is made by
enthusiasts in almost any wood, and in fact in many different materials. (See
the Hittys in Different
Mediums page) Basswood is probably the most widely used, for the same qualities
that make it one of the most popular carving woods, and it is best for learning
to carve.
5 What does the Original Hitty look like? What are her measurements?
We have many pictures of the Original Hitty Doll and her exact measurements, as well as carving-blank patterns on our Real Hitty Pages, found on our Home page.
6 How old is the Original Hitty? Who made her?
Some people believe that the Original Hitty dates from around the 1820s or 30s, based on the idea that she was 100 years old when purchased by Lathrop and Field, as represented in the story. Others, however, based on her hairstyle and very close resemblance to china dolls of the time, are more likely to place her making at around 1860. The Original Hitty's hairstyle is one of the best indicators that she is probably a little younger than the Hitty in the story.
7 Where is the Original Hitty now?
The Original Hitty doll now resides on display in climate-controlled safety with many of her personal belongings, books by Rachel Field, and related items at the Stockbridge Library Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where she is under the expert care of curator Barbara Allen . Her address is Stockbridge Library Association, Main Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262, and the phone number is: (413) 298-5501. Hitty can be visited by the public, and seeing her in person is a truly amazing experience. We recommend contacting the library before making your travel plans as it is easiest for the library staff if patrons visit Hitty when the curator is in the library, and if the curator is at lunch, has a day off, or is on vacation, someone may not be available to take you to the Historical Collection. We were told that the best time to visit Hitty is usually on weekdays, as opposed to weekends, but you should call for current information-- they are always happy to check their calender and tell you the best times! Due to her fragile condition, photographs are no longer allowed. However, you can purchase notecards with pictures of Hitty. Vist our Tour of Stockbridge page to see pictures of the library and town from our trip to Stockbridge in 2004.
8 Where can I buy a Hitty?
Please check out the Artists and Sellers section on our links page. Hittys come in many materials; some are artists and a few are mass-produced, (or both), and we have links to all of the working artists and Hittys available that we know of on the web. To see Hittys from many modern artists, some of whom sell Hittys, visit Julie Old Crow's Artists Gallery at her Dolly Museum!
9 How can I make my own Hitty?
Basswood is an excellent beginning wood and studying the measurements and details on our Real Hitty pages and/or studying the illustrations in the original book can help you to get an idea of what you want your Hitty to look like. There are also patterns for Hitty carving blanks on the Real Hitty page. Hitty Girls, the Hitty email discussion group, is a great place to learn about creating Hitty. This group is a general discussion group about Hitty. We discuss all aspects of Hitty, including carving, and it's a great place to get sewing tips and to learn how other people create their Hittys in wood, fabric, and a wide variety of other materials.
10 Who makes Hitty clothes? Are they difficult to make? Where can I get Hitty clothes patterns?
Hitty is such a small doll it is often difficult for someone with limited or no sewing abilities to create outfits for her, although if you sew already and are dedicated to Hitty, you can learn to sew small doll clothes with practice. Sewing for Hitty is similar in difficulty to sewing for Barbie, and there are a lot of doll artists who create lovely ensembles. When buying from an on-line auction, you may wish to ask the seller if the outfits will fit your particular Hitty, (discuss your Hitty's measurements or who made her), as Hitty does come in many shapes and sizes, depending on her maker, despite most Hittys being close in height. You can also check our links page, as we have on-line Hitty clothes makers listed, some of whom do commissions. Sewing for Hitty is a frequent topic on the Hitty Girls email list.
11 What scale is Hitty? Will dollhouse furniture and accessories work for Hitty? Does she fit in a dollhouse? How can I find things for my Hitty doll?
Hitty’s scale is a matter of some debate, and while some people feel that dollhouse furniture ‘fits,’ others feel that it is too small. Most American dollhouses and miniatures are in 1/12-inch scale, where one inch represents one foot. In that scale, Hitty, at 6.25 inches tall, appears to be 6 feet four inches in height! Because of her proportion, she can’t fit into many dollhouse furniture items. However, many dollhouse accessories can fit into Hitty’s world seamlessly. Hitty’s actual scale is difficult to determine, because of course it depends on how big you imagine Hitty to be. As the original Hitty doll might represent a child, some people prefer to put her in larger furniture and surroundings to make her appear to be child-sized, or less than 4 feet tall. Others feel that Hitty should be larger in proportion to her surroundings, as her proportion to her original desk and bench make her seem more adult-like. Her voice in Hitty, Her First Hundred Years is very mature, and it seems strange to some collectors to represent her as a small child. You will need to determine through experience what scale Hitty seems to be for you, and it is easiest to decide on an individual basis if a given accessory or piece of furniture is appropriate for your Hitty.
Hitty can fit in many 1/12-inch-scale dollhouse kits, although it usually works best to look for houses with fewer, more spacious rooms and/or higher ceilings. Some of the smallest houses may be a little cramped for Hitty, and if the house is divided into many smaller rooms some of her furniture may look over-large. Lots of Hitty Friends skip the dollhouse question by creating rooms for Hitty in boxes of appropriate size.
Keep your eyes open! Department stores, craft stores, even flea markets and rummage sales can surprise you. You can also purchase items through doll-house and miniature magazines and web sites. There are a lot of miniature sites that offer regular doll-house sized projects and printables, and many of them can be scaled slightly larger to fit Hitty. Check out Julie's Hitty Print Minis site to find many printable dollhouse miniatures designed just for Hitty!
12 What are some Hitty-related sites? Where can I find an email list or on-line group to discuss Hitty?
The Hitty.org links page has all the Hitty sites I know of, including lists and groups. The most active Hitty list today is Hitty Girls, an email list offered through Yahoo!Groups, owned by Julie Old Crow. The Hitty Girls homepage is www.hittygirls.com.
copyright 2005 by Sara Cole and Julie DeGroat