The Woman at the Well
It’s very likely, Woman at the Well was the final design completed by Janice Simpich—a fitting culmination of 54 years of creating Simpich Character Dolls. That alone makes her a remarkable part of the Simpich story.
But this piece carries a second kind of significance. She was conceived as one of the final two additions to the Nativity, bringing a woman shepherd into the scene. At the same time, she quietly echoes a later moment in Christ’s life: the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well—a story of dignity, invitation, and grace.
“19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
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The story behind Woman at the Well likely began the same way many iconic Simpich designs did: in a department meeting, with ideas being shaped into something timeless. Janice and Robert felt the Nativity could use another woman in the scene, and Jan seized the opportunity to bring to life a figure from later in Jesus’s ministry—the Samaritan woman at the well.
Introduced in 2005, just before the Doll Shop’s eventual closure was announced, this piece had only a short window in production. So even though Woman at the Well was not a special edition, it has become one of the rarest Simpich Character Dolls ever released. No official production totals were recorded, but based on our best estimates, only 200–400were ever made. Since we reopened the Consignment Service we have been able to locate two examples which you can see below.
As a final tidbit of history about the Woman at the Well, enjoy this little feature David Simpich made about the Woman at the Well back in 2021, you can see her featured in this video about the piece created in the Simpich Heritage Center (2009-2022)
