Lee Middleton

Tiny fingers … wispy curls … the soft blush of an innocent cheek. 
There is nothing more beautiful and wondrous than a new baby. 

So much of today’s doll industry can trace its roots to Lee Middleton and the phenomenon she started.  Who knew that she would touch the hearts of a whole generation of doll collectors?  From the time she was a little girl, she loved dolls.  Growing up during World War II in Springfield, Ohio to a soldier father and housewife mother, luxuries such as doll were hard to come by.  She fashioned her own from worn-out socks, cornhusks, and hollyhock blossoms.  As Lee grew, she developed her creative side and received recognition for her work in poetry, short stories, painting and fabric arts.   

In the late 1970’s, Lee kept herself busy creating little dolls to sell at craft shows.  She was unhappy with the generic, store-bought faces she was using and knew that she could probably sculpt something better.  Her first sculpture was of her daughter Brynn as a baby.  Lee eventually learned to pour, clean, and fire green-ware; and finish a porcelain piece.  That first sculpture ignited a fire inside of Lee.  She knew she had found the one thing that gave her true artistic fulfillment.

Lee became known by giving the world a gift of “babies that love you back” with every doll that she sculpted.  She knew that the mother or father in everyone needs the comfort and peace that holding a baby can bring.  She knew because she felt it too.

Lee poured so much of herself into each baby she made.  Her talent, she believed, was given from God and she “gave credit where credit was due” by including a little Bible with every one of her babies.

 Although Lee passed away in 1997, her wonderful legacy continues through the reintroduction of her beloved works of art.  Recreated from her original molds, and lovingly produced with the heartfelt assistance and cooperation of her family, this collection rekindles the feelings that only come from holding a new baby.  These moments, those Lee Middleton Moments, are ones to be cherished forever.

      Brynn is the daughter of world-renowned artist, author, and dollmaker, Lee Middleton.  By providing a creative environment, Lee encouraged Brynn to develop her skills as a sculptor and wax artist.  Brynn considers working with her mother a rare privilege, and she feels blessed to have been given the opportunity to learn and grow under Lee’s guiding influence. 

A gifted sculptor in her own right, Brynn now strives to carry on her mother’s legacy.  Through the formation of a new company, Lee Middleton Moments, both Lee and Brynn’s babies are once again available to doll lovers everywhere.  Brynn is especially grateful to Linda Rick, The Doll Maker, for honoring Lee’s commitment to quality and devotion to collectors.

Brynn lives on her family’s farm in Southeastern Ohio with her husband Robert, and her daughters Beth and Erin.