Remember when porcelain dolls were made in Oyen?

By Joan Janzen

Forty years ago a group of approximately 25 women gathered in Esther Profoun’s basement in Oyen where she taught them how to make porcelain dolls. Students came as far away as Medicine Hat and Kerrobert to learn the art of doll making.

Three basement rooms, two kilns, and a sewing machine were utilized for the classes. The dolls were meticulously painted and adorned with wigs, plastic eyeballs, and eye lashes, and stuffed with poly-fil. It took up to 46 days to complete one doll.

In the spring of 1998, the group had 200 dolls assembled to present to students at the Oyen High School. The star of the show was a miniature two foot high Shirley Temple doll.

Esther Porfoun of Oyen pictured in 1998 with the Shirley Temple Doll she had made. She taught doll making classes in her basement in Oyen. Photo: West Central Crossroads March 1998