Rita Haddow
shows off her
rhinoceros
collection.
Doll is another resource where Rita discovers artists from whom she commissions
wondrous rhino dolls. These sit on her living room tables or are enclosed in glass
cases to keep their satin, laces and velvets in pristine condition.
There is an enticing Marilyn Monrhino, a gorgeous Cinderella rhino and her
handsome, horned Prince Charming, a graceful ballerina rhino and Brunhilde, the
opera singer created by Jo Ellen Trilling. Another star of her collection is the white-
costumed minstrel rhino by Bill Cunningham of Canada.
While some may find rhinos less than beautiful, Rita finds them enchanting.
"It started when I was on a safari in Africa and petted a white rhino," she says.
The touch cast a magic spell over Rita, who has championed the horny beast ever
since.
Sadly, during the Haddows' first visit to Africa in 1984 they saw lots of rhinos, but
when they returned in 1992 they didn't see any. They're now on the endangered
species list and their demise angers Rita. A lover of animals and a former docent at
the Detroit Zoo, she is incensed at the poaching that still goes on in Africa.
"They're poached for their horns," says Rita, "which are ground up and used as a
supposed cold remedy in Asia." Although the horns can grow back, she says, without
them the mother has no way of protecting her young.
When it comes to protecting her own rhinos, Rita envisions adding a room to her
home to arrange her collections. Hopefully she would have visiting hours.
to,
4 .1 °
• 111...
*t°
BY MARJ JACKSON LEVIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN
I
t's always something with Rita Haddow.
Ever on the alert to add to her collectibles,
Rita admits, "It's like a disease; one collec-
tion leads to another." One might better
describe her collecting habits as an addiction
from which she has no intention of recover-
ing. "When we tease her about it, she threat-
ens to leave us her collections," says her daughter,
Lauren Daitch.
Rita has more than enough collectibles to over-
whelm any distribution among her four children. She
started collecting hands about 40 years ago and went
on from there. There is now a shelf in her living room
featuring nodders (porcelain figures whose heads
bob), another shelf display of vesta holders (intricate
boxes holding pre-safety matches) and a cabinet of
netsukes (carved ivory figures from Japan). Other col-
lections include flower frogs, Roseville pottery (only
the rarest blue color), calendar tiles, tape measures,
and her number one passion, RHINOCEROSES.
Her fascinating rhino collection can be discovered
in every room in the house except her husband,
John's, office.
"John is very patient with me," says Rita, grateful
for her husband's understanding of her never-ending
quests. Wherever the couple travels they invariably
haunt flea markets and antique galleries to seek a
replica of Rita's favorite animal. "They just find me,"
says Rita who can spot a rhino among a myriad of
objects.
Rita does not have a count, but a casual overview
by a visitor easily comes up with close to a thousand.
They range in size from a fingernail to almost the size
of their petite owner. They range in materials from
the softest fabrics to the hardest minerals. And in
price, they range from a few cents to thousands of
dollars. The two red rhino sculptures that greet visi-
tors outside the home are only a hint of what they'll
discover inside among the meticulously arranged dis-
plays. There are hundreds of rhino figures lining her
office walls, most of which she's picked up on her
travels, on eBay, in local shops, or received as gifts.
(She shuns garage sales.) And there are magnificent
rhino dolls displayed as art objects in her living room.
A few prized rhinos came from Riki Schaeffer's for-
mer doll gallery. The glossy publication Contemporary
1 0 • JANUARY 2003 • STYLE AT '1'FIE JN
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