"It's a doll, Ineke Schmelter, 71, often says as she walks down the street with a pram and someone peers fondly under the hood, asking: How old is the baby? Then she pulls back the blanket and reveals the doll. She points out the craftsmanship the little veins, the creases in the skin and explains that it can take as many as 20 layers of paint to achieve such a lifelike finish."
"She bought her first around four years ago, when she retired and didn't know what to do with her free time. She had spent her whole working life with babies and children. First as a nurse in hospital, later as a maternity nurse. She missed the daily contact: the tiny grabbing hands, that warm little body in her arms. At first she mainly bought old dolls on Marktplaats and restored them, but when she saw a real reborn baby for the first time,"
A 71-year-old collector walks with a pram containing a reborn doll, often revealing the doll's lifelike details such as veins and skin creases achieved through up to 20 paint layers. The collector bought the first reborn after retirement, restoring vintage dolls before preferring reborns and now owns ten, some costing over €1,200. The hobby involves sourcing vintage clothes and bottles, providing comfort, companionship, and reminiscence for those missing daily childcare contact. Reborn dolls originated in the US in the 1990s and now have millions of global enthusiasts.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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