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I found out about Dare Wright‘s work when researching women photographers. Wright’s stark yet highly expressive photos of a doll and teddy bears were among the creepiest I’d ever seen, with the artist obviously working out some serious issues, so imagine my surprise when I learned they came from children’s books, a series that expanded from Wright’s 1957 bestseller, The Lonely Doll. The book’s plot is actually pretty unsettling too: a doll named Edith lives all alone until Mr. Bear and Little Bear suddenly appear–their entrance is never explained, nor is Edith’s titular loneliness. One day when Mr. Bear leaves the apartment, Edith and Little Bear misbehave, putting on make-up and playing dress-up with adult clothes from an inexplicable closet–again, no context is given for why the closet is there or to whom its contents belong. The two even graffiti “Mr. Bear is just a silly old thing” on the mirror with lipstick.

Mr. Bear comes back and punishes the two, spanking Edith in a disturbing yet iconic photo. Edith’s only fear however is being abandoned, and she is inconsolable until Mr. Bear assures her he will never ever leave. By itself, the plot doesn’t seem terribly strange. Crime and punishment is a common plot for kid’s books, and it can be helpful to remind kids that punishment does not equal denouncement. It’s the palpable fear of loneliness both in the narrative and photography that makes the book so intense–it’s not called Edith Finds a Friend. Edith’s permanent identity is one of loneliness, and the books to follow often still refer to her as such. That is not the half of the story though.

From ‘The Lonely Doll,’ 1957

Dare styling Edith–obviously not impromptu

From ‘Edith and Big Bad Bill,’ 1968

Jean Nathan’s biography The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll: The Search for Dare Wright is one of the most disquieting books I’ve ever read. Dare Wright’s childhood was a traumatic one. Her parents divorced when she was three. Her father took her five-year-old brother, and Dare went to Cleveland with her mother, Edith, a fairly famous portraitist–Garbo and Winston Churchill sat for her. She gave Dare the doll that would later be photographed endlessly–the two named it “Edith.”

Dare moved to New York for college, unaware that her brother Blaine was living there as well. An uncle arranged for their reunion and it’s widely believed they developed a romantic relationship soon after– apparently they even planned to marry at one point. Eventually they abandoned ideas of marriage, and Blaine introduced Dare to a wealthy friend of his named Phillip. After a five year relationship, Philip mysteriously called off the marriage a week before the wedding. She was crushed, and frankly wasn’t particularly adept at or perhaps even interested in dating, despite her beauty. During this time Dare went to school for drama, but failing as an actress she still managed a very successful modeling career–she was even a Cosmopolitan cover girl.

Edith and Dare also became immersed in photographing and painting Dare, sometimes in fancy dress or costume. The mother and daughter would send the photos and paintings to Phillip, even after the breakup, with both Edith and Dare’s named signed.

From ‘The Lonely Doll,’ 1957

Phillip died in an airshow in 1951, and Edith and her daughter’s relationship became even more intense. They were apart less and less–Dare was always visiting Edith or vice versa. They slept in the same bed, and were neither defensive nor apologetic about it–they simply didn’t think it was weird. Around this time Dare rediscovered her childhood doll “Edith.” She restyled her as her own doppelganger and began not only photographing the doll, but projecting upon her a personality. Perhaps viewing her as a protector, Dare once put “Edith” up as barrier when a date tried to kiss her. (She was also known to lie about her ”great love,” a fictional pilot who had supposedly been killed in the Korean War, to deter male suitors. She probably died a virgin.)

The Lonely Doll was published in 1957 and was an immediate runaway hit. Dare and Edith (her mother) built a lucrative career from the series, but still made time to collaborate on more “adult” photography–there were many photo shoots of Dare partially or totally nude, and it’s not clear whether it was Dare or her mother making the artistic decisions. The two didn’t really become reclusive so much as inaccessible–it was simply Dare and Edith, Edith and Dare. Edith died at the age of 92, next to her 61-year-old daughter in the bed they shared.

Dare became incredibly withdrawn after her mother’s death, speaking to photographs of Phillip in her luxurious apartment all alone. It only got worse when Blaine died. Her alcoholism intensified and after respiratory failure in 1995, she lived her final years in a hospital until her death in 2001. The Lonely Doll series now has a cult following–Cindy Sherman, David LaChapelle, Anna Sui and Kim Gordon are known to be fans–but I highly recommend you also read up on Dare Wright’s life, too–it’s a far more harrowing and interesting tale. Not exactly another Grey Gardens, but you will notice a similar “Big Edie” and “Little Edie” symmetry, it’s difficult not to.

This American Life on Dare Wright

From ‘The Lonely Doll Learns a Lesson,’ 1961

Edith and Little Bear

Edith and Little Bear

One of Dare Wright’s many self-portraits, thought to have been styled by her mother