For today’s “History of Dolls” blog post, I’m researching what I’m calling the “Hattie Thompson Doll” because according to the DAR website, this doll was made at some point in the 20th century, by a woman name Hattie Thompson. Today’s blog post is part of a history challenge! Click here to read about the challenge and download the free PDF to join the history challenge. … Continue reading The Hattie Thompson Doll — An early heat transfer face perhaps? — #AmericanDoll #7

The doll you see above was created by a woman who is considered something of an icon in American doll history. The person I’m talking about is Izannah Walker, an early American manufacturer of dolls and an artist in her own right. Today’s blog post is part of a history challenge that has been running throughout the month of August. You’re supposed to look at … Continue reading Izannah Walker: an icon in the history of doll making in America #AmericanDoll #6

Meet Cordelia… Isn’t she sweet?! If you’ve been playing along with the history challenge, I’m very curious to hear your honest guesses. What era do you think she comes from? Please leave a comment below. If you’re not familiar with my history challenge, please click here to read about the challenge and download the free PDF to join us. When I first saw Cordelia, I … Continue reading Can we judge a doll by its costume? #AmericanDoll #5

Have you given a guess yet, as to the age of this precious little doll? That’s part of the history challenge that I issued at the start of this month. Click here to read about the challenge and to download the free PDF to join my doll history challenge. In what year do you guess this doll was “born” into the world? And who do … Continue reading A Precious Native American Doll with a Beaded Face #AmericanDoll #4

We’re going to refer to the doll shown above as the “Pen-wiper” doll because the little black felt pad she’s seated upon is what’s called a pen-wiper. Back in the 1800’s people used what we think of today as calligraphy-style pens to write letters and correspondences. The black felt circle, with its “circular pieces of layered felt and silk” (1) would have been used to … Continue reading The mystery of the pen wiper seated doll… #AmericanDoll #2

The doll in the image above is what’s known as a cornhusk doll (sometimes spelled as two words: corn husk doll), and they are so called because, well… they’re made from corn husks. This one is housed at the DAR Museum in Washington DC, and it dates back to the mid-19th century, so if you’re participating in the history challenge, you can give it a … Continue reading The history of the corn husk doll (AKA cornhusk dolls) #AmericanDoll #1

In July, we did a quick study of some of the oldest dolls on earth, but did you know there was also a contest running? All you had to do was leave a comment on the “History of Dolls” blog posts in July, and your name was automatically entered in a drawing for one of three free copies of Doll Castle News. To read the … Continue reading History Challenge! And… announcing three contest winners! #History #DollLover

Because Greek and Roman writers left us a large body of written texts, including anecdotes about everyday life, we know that little Greek and Roman girls did play with dolls in ancient times. Some of the oldest Greek examples of dolls, dating back to the 7th century BCE, have a strange bell shape to the body with elongated necks. Their legs, however, were jointed to … Continue reading What’s the oldest articulated doll that girls played with in history? #Plaggona #DollHistory