Reverend Jen and Her Den of Four Hundred Trolls

Troll dolls may have had their moment in the ’90s, but for one eccentric Lower East Side artist, the figurine fad will never die.

Photos by Brad Horrigan

Reverend Jen apologizes for not wearing her elf ears. She normally wears them all of the time, but it's a sticky, sweltering summer day in the city and it's just too damn hot. She is standing in the living room of her apartment, where every visible surface (ceiling and floors included) is streaked and daubed with rusty oranges and reds. The space is cramped, as New York living rooms are wont to be, but this one is especially so. A kitty tower takes over one corner, while what looks like the lower half of a mannequin is overturned, the soles of its feet being used for a tabletop. Next to it, a bookshelf overflows with tomes, mostly about art.

By and large, though, the spatial awkwardness is due to fellow company. Also present are her dog, a tiny Chihuahua named Rev. Jen, Jr., a slightly larger cat, and roughly 400 troll dolls.