The Hidden World in Apartment 5F
(The interviewee’s quotes have been adapted for length and clarity)
Approaching Lester Senior Center, Linda Feller stood under the green awning greeting me with a welcoming smile. Wearing a navy floral skirt paired with a matching cyan blue sweater, Linda was a ray of sunshine among clouds of gray. After exchanging hellos she quickly wrapped me into a loving hug and pulled out two small blue tickets from her purse and placed one into my hand.
“We are getting ice cream first,” she instructed as we walked towards the ice cream truck that was parked right outside the home building. Making small talk with every senior that passed us, it was clear to see that Linda was a local celebrity at the living center. After we picked up our ice cream, we made our way back to her apartment, chatting about our summer plans. Placing her hand on the door knob, Linda opened the door ushering me in.
Stepping inside, I was face to face with over 3000 dolls. Each doll was made out of different materials, whether that be metal, porcelain, glass, cloth, or out of recycled cans. Each uniquely dressed in attire representing different countries, and stored in large glass cabinets lining her walls.
“I always loved dolls as a little one. I always had dolls and I loved my dolls. I used to put them to sleep at night, tell them to be good. I just enjoyed them.”
Linda immerses herself in the backgrounds of each doll and is able to recount when and where she got every single one at the drop of a hat. Each doll represents Linda’s desire to explore new cultures.
“My mother was Canadian, so I loved finding out about other people’s culture, which is probably the tie?”
“Oh she’s a doll!”
Most people cannot say that they have 1,000 of any object, let alone 4,500. Linda Feller has collected over 4,500 dolls in the span of 62 years, cataloging each of them. She says with pride, “There are approximately 210 countries according to the United Nations and I have dolls from 180.”
As if it were yesterday, she can tell you the exact date and location in which her obsession with dolls began, Labor Day Weekend 1962, in Washington DC. She has carefully curated a collection of dolls that could make up a map of the world. Each doll holds a unique memory, and even more, a story that Linda cannot wait to share.
Holding two blonde, small dolls in each of her hands, Linda began to describe the meanings behind their clothing. “These are lovely little German dolls. When you are looking at a country, this is the thing—these dolls are from a certain area, but each of them are slightly different.” Holding up the first doll in one hand she continued, “First of all, she's wearing a hat. That means she's married. Married women wear hats.” Pointing to the second doll she added, “She doesn't have a hat. She's unmarried. She's a young girl. What she has in her basket could be something special. I think each [doll] has the city on this little label, this one is the black forest.” She continued on, describing the significance of each of the colors that the dolls were wearing, black and red pom poms, black for married women, and red for unmarried women respectively.
“But you notice one thing else: they all have big skirts. They aren't small skirts, and they're all handmade,” she said.
Linda has been able to shape her collection of dolls into interactive experiences for her community. She leads “Doll Talks” where she answers questions such as “What can a doll be made of?”, and hosts fun events like “Dancing with the Dolls,” spreading her love of dolls to the people around her.
EARLY LIFE
Growing up in Brooklyn, Linda was constantly immersed in arts and culture. Her home was filled with music, art, and literature. Her parents were responsible for exposing Linda to every culture they could learn about. Her father would take her on trips to the Natural History Museum, and her mother would bring her to Broadway plays. Linda’s intellectual spirit only grew with age. By the fourth grade Linda was reading at a twelfth grade level and reading every chance she got. “My mother would be yelling, “you have to go to sleep!”
“One more page, mark”? One more paragraph. I promise,” Linda would reply. Before she could even write her own name, Linda’s nose could be found stuck in a book.
Graduating high school at an early age of 16 years old, Linda decided to attend Brooklyn College. Shortly after however, Linda dropped out, got married at 19 years old, and gave birth to her son, Ira, four days before her first 21st birthday. Two years later, Linda gave birth to her daughter Monica. During this time Linda put her husband through school. Then, she decided that it was her turn to go back to college
Around the age of 40 Linda earned a master's degree in Library Science, fulfilling her desire to surround herself with intellectuals.In library school there are many different paths you can take to specify a type of library science: general librarian, reference librarian, law, music, and children. Linda knew without a doubt she wanted to be a children's librarian.
Linda moved between schools, helping children foster a love of books as strong as her own. She spent 25 years of her career at Brooklyn Tech, an advanced high school for gifted students, where she formed meaningful connections. Linda has fond memories of her students, and shared some of her favorite stories with me.
“We had a stacks area in the back [ for older and extra books]... I'm walking by and one of the monitors (usually boys) goes, ‘Ms. Feller’. He said, ‘why are you censoring us?’ ‘ How am I censoring you?,” she responded.
“[He responded] ‘You don't have a subscription to Playboy magazine,’ and I looked at him and I said, ‘You are right. Actually, I do censor you. I’ll tell you what, go home, tell your mother that I'm censoring you, and ask her to give me a call and we'll talk about it.’ Never got a phone call for some reason. Never. Nobody ever called.”
Brooklyn Tech was ultimately where Linda ended her career. “I loved it. I loved it. I only left it because of my health,” she says, “I loved every minute of it.”
AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK
Linda’s natural curiosity to learn about and immerse herself in the places she read about, helped catalyze her exploration of the world. Linda has created experiences for herself that some people can only dream about: walking the Great Wall of China, seeing the Aurora Borealis in Greenland, eating chocolate in Belgium, and riding elephants in South Africa. In all, Linda has traveled to all 50 states and 105 countries. To her, however, traveling is not just about sightseeing. In each country she visits, Linda makes sure to converse with the locals and gain a deeper understanding of the world around her. In her own words, “I've been to so many places and seen so many things,” but her advice is to take every opportunity to travel with someone special.
ENDING MESSAGES
In my conversation with Linda we talked about: connections she has formed, places she has traveled, religion, and much more. I am beyond honored that she shared these special moments with me, and allowed me to document important events that shaped her.
When I asked her about a final message she wanted to leave her family with she started by conveying her unwavering love for them. Her message to her family, while short, is clear -- enjoy life. “If I had said, ‘wait till you retire, Linda, you have plenty of time’, I would've missed out on so much. Figure out what's important for you. Travel may not be your thing, but find whatever it is that makes you happy and laugh. Laughter helps the whole world go around.”
