Pauline Perlman of Garwood has lent the Highland Park Public Library her faceless doll collection from February 1 through March 29, 2020. Her multicultural faceless dolls are featured in the main hall display case.
Pauline Perlman has been making the dolls, which are all made from recycled materials for five years. She is a member of a class taught by Thelma Heard at the Rahway Senior Center.
“I joined the class while visiting the Senior Center for another reason and heard all these people laughing,” Pauline said. ”I joined right away, all you needed was recycled materials and your imagination.”
A lost earring, old curtains, a menu from a restaurant, or a scrap of fabric have found their way in to Pauline’s dolls. Nothing is pasted on the dolls; everything is hand-sown.
If you ask Pauline about her life, she will tell you that she raised a family, worked in sales and always enjoyed sewing. But during World War II Pauline picked up a blow torch and worked on warheads at Western Electric in Jersey City. You can say that Pauline has always worked well with her hands!
“I hope you will enjoy my creations, and that you will look at all that you are about to discard with an idea of what it could become,” Pauline said.
