New doll added to W.Va. first lady doll project

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A doll of West Virginia first lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin is joining a collection that began in 1976.

The newest commemorative doll in the First Ladies of West Virginia doll collection was unveiled during a reception at the Culture Center in Charleston this week.

The doll of first lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin was hand-sculpted by Washington, D.C.-based artist Ping Lau.

The first lady doll project began when Charleston ceramic artist Edna Henderson created twenty-eight first lady dolls for the inauguration of the Culture Center in Charleston.

The dolls and the project itself were commissioned by the West Virginia Federation of Women’s Clubs.

The permanent exhibit at the Culture Center exhibit examines the evolving role of West Virginia’s first ladies and features the popular ceramic doll collection.