Puppenstube Gallery
"Young Cinderella"
measurements including pedestal are: 20" Height, 9" width, 9" deep
The idea of charm, or of charming a person has always intrigued me. The dictionary says that the word charming means "attractive; fascinating; delightful." A charm, on the other hand, has a more interesting set of definitions: "1. a chanted word or verse, an action, or an object assumed to have magic power to help or hurt 2. a trinket on a bracelet, watch chain, etc. 3. a quality or feature that attracts or delights 4. to act on as though by magic 5. to attract or please greatly; fascinate; delight."
The idea of capturing the personality of a charming child is part and parcel of the doll world. If you go to a big show in this trade you might see hundreds or maybe even thousands of interpretations of charm. Of course, had the doll world influenced the Webster Dictionary's definition of the word there might be a different twist on the meaning: "6. a sweet state of mindlessness; pretty though brain dead 7. overdressed to the point of suffocation in frilly fabrics and lace." I write this humorously, but it has always bothered me that so many people see children as vacuous fashion statements -- in my mind it really does a disservice to them as human beings.
In revisiting the story of Cinderella I realized that it was really all about charm. On the surface there is the dolly kind of charm -- the fairy godmother comes and gives her a frilly gown and all the accessories of beauty (the chariot and horses and of course the shoes), and with them she goes to the ball and enchants the prince.
Of course the spell is broken at midnight, and later the prince not only has to find her with that one clue of a shoe, but when he does he finds he loves her despite the fact that she is just a poor girl. Obviously he sees more in her than just the accessories or surface trappings of charm. In fact, I would argue that she had to be charming to attract a fairy godmother to help her in the first place. That girl had something from the very beginning that she "acted on the world as though by magic." Every so often a person will come along who you just know will succeed, no matter how poor or lowly they are when they start out. In fact, the poorer they are the farther they seem to go.
My Cinderella is young -- before the ball and even before she met the fairy godmother. Her dress is drab, her hair is unkempt, and the only obvious prospect she has in life is a future of dirty menial work. There is, however a spark in the eye - something beyond her natural shyness, maybe a bit of wildness or a defiance against the limitations that try to define her. It is not a completely benign quality either -- she is not simply or mindlessly sweet -- there is a hunger in her to be more and you know that when a chance comes or a door opens she will not hesitate. In essence, I think the most charming thing about her is her courage. She also has the great gift of youth -- a belief that the world will give her that opportunity -- she has hope. When the prince finally falls in love with her at the end of the story, it is not simply because her foot fits the shoe -- it may be because he can sense that she has inner strength and will eventually make a powerful companion and queen. If that was his motivation, then he has chosen wisely and they probably will "live happily ever after."
Lisa Lichtenfels