Trip to Saratoga Scarlett O' Hara doll by Robert Tonner
Walter Plunkett illustration of the "Saratoga" outfit.
Image from Tonner doll website.
Robert Tonner's Trip to Saratoga dress is an interpretation of one of Walter Plunkett's designs for Gone with the Wind. The dress was never made for the film. It is supposedly for a scene wherein Scarlett comes from or goes to Saratoga. There was no such point in the Gone with Wind plot and only a mention: "When I was in Saratoga, I never saw any Yankee girls taking naps", says Scarlett refuting Mammy's admonition of her to take an afternoon nap at Twelve Oaks. Of course, she had other plans that afternoon than to take a nap, rather make a reality of her dream to declare her love for Ashley.
Tonner's Saratoga dress is a wonderful Civil War piece with rich ruffles on the bodice and sleeves. The coat is made of pale silk pink (if I am correct). Its twill skirt is rather heavy and lined with black and pink lines to make the square/block designs. The outfit comes with a hat topped with lace ruffles similar to the sleeves and bodice (parasol has been added via photoshop). The shoes of this doll are little delightful pieces -- in period with a buckle (I lost one buckle though in the process of its shipment). The doll also holds a little handkerchief bordered with lace. I am, however told that this dress was originally a design for Emmy Slattery (a character in Gone With the Wind).
Here is my portrait of Robert Tonner's Mrs. Kennedy doll and the "Waiting for Pa" doll wearing the "Trip to Saratoga" outfit. I've rendered one to look like a charcoal illustration against a Victorian background.
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