Another Josef Originals Mystery Solved?: Minuet Series vs At Home Series

I'm on the case, following clues and gathering evidence, that will hopefully lead to a Josef Originals mystery being solved....

Come along as I pick through the pieces of this puzzling mess I've recently mired myself in.

What is one sure thing that we can all come to expect from any given series of Josef Originals dolls?

Yes, they are beautiful.
Yes, they are irresistible.

But what else?
.....

Answer: That they consist of figurines in even numbers.

For the most part, that number is SIX.
Obviously there are some exceptions, such as series involving the months of the year and zodiac signs (12), seasons (4), and the days of the week (7), among a few others such as the International series (20+), planters, etc.

But for the most part, the magic number is six.

With that being said, there are two series of Josef Originals figurines that perplex me as they break this often followed rule. According to the Josef Originals books, these two series each only consist of three pieces. And given that the two series in question are similar in styling, and given that the information provided in the Josef Originals guides have been found to be not always entirely accurate, the cogs in my little brain began grinding away, making me question if the two series are not in fact one and the same.

First, we have the "Minuet" Series:

I have searched high and low, and can find no other figurines that could complete this set. Research and all available evidence would indicate that these three are the only ladies making up the "Minuet" series.

How odd...

And if there are another three ladies out there to complete the usual six, how have they gone undetected, and undocumented, for so long?

Yes, very odd, indeed.

Then there is the "At Home" Series:

Again, just the three ladies, if the Josef Originals books are to be believed.
And once more, just as with the "Minuet" series, there is no record of any others belonging to this specific series, nor did I come across any possible misfit candidates that could possibly be a fit.

Strange....

So let's examine the visual/physical attributes of each set:

MINUET                                        AT HOME
White hair                                        White hair
18th century styled dress                 18th century styled dress
8 inches tall                                      7 inches tall
All standing                                      All seated
2 with opened eyes                          1 with opened eyes
 1 with downcast eyes                      2 with downcast eyes

At a glance, it could very well lead one to speculate that these six could be of the same series. Most obvious is the fact they look like they are all from the 18th century. But if you look even closer, you'll notice that all of their faces are similar to each other, while all being just slightly different than your typical Josef Originals face - their noses are more 'flat' in appearance, and the ladies with the open eyes especially appear different than other Josefs.

Now, one could easily argue, right off the bat, that surely these cannot all make up one series as they are of different heights. 

And that is indeed a fair argument - the pieces of a series pretty much always have the same measurements.

However, I must counter that argument by directing you to two other series that feature pieces with differing heights: the "Italian Provincial" series and the "Italian Aristocrats" series. 

Both feature a seated lady, and therefore she is a different height from the other pieces of their respective series.

And then, on the other hand, the "A Mother's World" series consists of some seated ladies, and yet they are still the same height of the standing ladies of that same series.

So height alone is not going to be a viable bit of evidence, here.

Let's move on....

Perhaps we can find some clues in the naming of the series, hmm?

First, let's think about the name, "At Home": Obviously, the first thing you think of is being, well, at home, doing what you do in your home. But given that these ladies look to be from the 18th century, their home life is going to be a bit different than what may have immediately sprung to mind.

These three appear to all be partaking in activities that a lady of that time period would be doing in her home (or chateau, if you will) - Writing a letter of the utmost importance at her desk, completing an impressive sampling of embroidery, and enjoying the company of her pet pooch that, I am sure, is of the finest breeding.

Nothing amiss here...for these three ladies, the name "At Home" is actually really quite fitting.

Now let's move on and examine the name "Minuet" by first looking at the meaning of the word, shall we?:

MINUET-  a slow, stately ballroom dance for two in triple time, popular especially in the 18th century.
The word was adapted from Italian "minuetto" and French "menuet", possibly from the French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps.

Interesting.

If "minuet" is being used in terms of a dance, then surely all three should appear dancing, no?

I certainly can't imagine anyone doing any sort of ballroom dancing with an open parasol.
In fact, only one of these ladies actually appears ready for the ballroom.
The lady in green looks like she is preparing to go horseback riding, in my opinion, especially given her style of hat.

No, to me, naming this series after a style of dance makes very little sense to me.

And, if "minuet" is instead being used to refer to size, that also does not jive. These figurines clock in at 8 inches tall, so "small" they are not.

This leaves me wondering why anyone would have conjured up the name "Minuet" for this series of figurines. Even if the books ARE correct, which I doubt, it is a very strange choice, in my opinion.

Based on this bit of evidence, I would say there is definitely something fishy with this series name.

With that, I think that it is safe to say that we've just determined that the name "At Home" is the correct name of the series for the three seated ladies. And I think we've made a pretty clear argument that "Minuet" is probably not the actual series name for the other three ladies.

So, that now leaves us with the question: Could the supposed "Minuet" ladies actually instead be part of the more aptly named "At Home" series??

Yes, friends, I think they just might be.

Let me explain my reasoning...

The three so called "Minuet" ladies appear to be such that would enjoy a rich and lavish lifestyle, do they not?
And surely they would live in a fine home, would they not?
Stately homes from that time period would have included many rooms and accommodations, such as a library, sitting room, a conservatory, a ballroom, large gardens, horse stables, etc.

Ballroom

 

Garden

Stables 

Could one not easily suppose that these three ladies too appear "at home?" Hmm?

So, it is with all these things taken into account, along with the fact they all appear from the same time period, and the fact they could all easily be imagined being "at home" during said time period, and more importantly because 3 + 3 = 6....

I do hereby conclude, my dear Watson, that these six lovely ladies are all, indeed, part of the same series!

So there we have it!

I can honestly say that I do feel pretty confident in my deducing that these six beauties all officially belong to the "At Home" series, and yet, there remains one piece of this puzzle that just doesn't fit....

Only three of these six ladies (the three from the now defunct "Minuet" series), were offered, not only with the typical glossy finish, but they were also released in a flat, matte finish, AND featuring different color schemes, whereas the same cannot be said for the other three, seated ladies.

?????????

So is this truly a "case closed" after all?

Perhaps there is more pondering and pipe puffing yet to be done on this one.

                                             
I'd be curious to hear your take on "Minuet" vs. "At Home."
Do YOU think these all belong together in one series?
Or do you believe these are two separate series made up of only three figurines?
Do you think the missing ladies are still out there somewhere?
Do you agree about the names of the series?

Let me know your thoughts! 

Before you go (if you were ever even here at all), I thought I'd share some photos I posted on Instagram of the original "At Home" three. It was this little photo shoot that triggered this whole investigation.

(If you are on Instagram, and want to check out more Josef pics, you can find me @jenplusj.)

PS. I also just wanted to apologize for the HUGE gap in posting. With the world being in an absolute upheaval, and the news filled with nothing but doom and gloom, I have just been feeling pretty "meh" of late. It's been a little difficult to get inspired to do much more than just bury my head under the covers. I'm sure you can relate. But anyway, I'm sorry, and I appreciate you stopping back here, and hanging in there with me.

Be safe, and care for one another!