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Vintage Carolyn Cook Mama Duck & 8 Ducklings — 1983 Textile Art
A wonderfully unusual one-of-a-kind textile family by Carolyn Cook Storer, created from designer fabrics associated with Kevin O’Brien Studio.
This charming handmade set features Mama Duck and her eight ducklings, each nestled in its own little eggshell. Each animal is shaped, sewn, and stuffed by hand. But there is a delightful surprise built into the design: all eight ducklings and their eggshells fit inside Mama Duck’s belly through a slit on her underside. When displayed, Mama Duck carries her entire brood with her.
A Little Textile History
Carolyn Cook Storer created whimsical stuffed animals in collaboration with Kevin O’Brien Studio in Philadelphia, using the studio’s luxurious designer fabric remnants. A Designers Today profile of Storer describes her unusual menagerie—including ducks, pigs, owls, squirrels, bunnies, kangaroos and elephants—and notes that she created mother-and-baby groupings as well.
The article provides fascinating context for this particular piece and places Carolyn Cook’s work within the world of Philadelphia textile and interior design.
Mama Duck bears a sewn-in “Carolyn Cook” tag, visible in the photographs, and the piece dates to 1983.
The Complete Set
• 1 Mama Duck
• 8 Ducklings
• 8 individual eggshells
Approximate displayed dimensions of Mama Duck:
12\" L × 9\" H × 6\" W
Because this is a soft, stuffed textile sculpture, measurements vary somewhat depending upon how the piece is positioned and whether her brood is tucked inside.
The ducklings are each approximately 3\" in diameter.
The wonderfully varied fabrics, individual construction and clever nesting design give this set the unmistakable character of a handmade, non-mass-produced work. No two examples would be expected to be exactly alike.
Carolyn Cook Storer also created other mother-and-baby animal groupings, including a Pig and Piglets set, making these pieces particularly intriguing to collectors interested in her work, American textile art, Philadelphia design history, and unusual vintage handmade objects.
Vintage • Handmade • Carolyn Cook • 1983 • Kevin O’Brien Studio • Philadelphia • Textile Art • One of a Kind
Please examine all photographs carefully for condition, construction details and the Carolyn Cook tag. As with any vintage handmade textile, there may be surface fuzzing, loose fibers or other minor signs of age and handling.
A truly delightful piece of textile history—and an especially charming example of Carolyn Cook Storer’s imaginative animal menagerie. Mama Duck has eight little secrets, and they all fit inside her.
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