While everybody wears clothing, not everyone wears fashion. In choosing to wear fashion—rather than just clothing—the wearer makes a statement about herself and her sense of identity. Individuals use fashion to place themselves in (or out) of groups, demonstrate their places in society, and communicate not only who they are but also who they aspire to be. But a collection of individuals makes up a society. While fashion choices are ultimately individual, fashion trends reflect society’s culture, norms, expectations, and values.
Paper dolls as artifacts illustrate the social expectations for women at particular moments in time. As products of both popular culture and mass marketing, paper dolls are intentionally designed to reflect that society’s idealized version of womanhood. The dolls’ little paper wardrobes communicate a wealth of information about the ideal woman of the past.
Pretty Paper Playthings
Paper dolls were popular playthings from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. Technological advances in the 19th century dropped the cost of printing and made reproducing pictures much easier, leading to an explosion of illustrated, paper ephemera including prints, books, magazines, and cards. The first American paper doll commercially produced as a children’s toy was Boston-based J. Belcher’s “The History and Adventures of Little Henry” in 1812. The dolls accompanied a children’s book and were designed to act out various scenes as the narratives unfolded. Paper dolls only grew in popularity over the century. Newspapers and magazines published paper dolls both as playthings and as vehicles to illustrate current fashions for girls and women.
Credit
National Women's History Museum
Children learn through play, using toys to try out different roles. For little girls, the appeal of paper dolls lay in their extensive wardrobes and the many different scenarios a doll could play out. The dolls and their wardrobes depicted the ideal aspirational lifestyle for their time. Dolls of older teenagers or young adult women encouraged girls to project themselves into that next phase of life. As with most playthings, paper dolls encouraged girls in fantasy role play, but the roles were defined by the dolls’ clothing and accessories.
Credit
National Women's History Museum
Paper dolls from different decades send a message about the role of women at the time and what society valued. Twentieth-century paper dolls’ wardrobes expanded the various potential roles for girls, from college student to movie star to World War II WAC. In this, they reflected an expanded horizon of women’s opportunities that aligned with what women were doing in real life.
Career-oriented dolls—unless that career was “movie star”—continued to be outnumbered by dolls depicting ladies of leisure. The doll below, published circa 1942, has a wide wardrobe wholly oriented towards leisure activities with outfits for day, evening, and recreation. She reflects the aspirational ideal of a 1940’s woman’s lifestyle, even if it was not most women’s lived reality.
Credit
National Women's History Museum
This trend in paper doll wardrobes continued until the late 1970s, after the women’s rights movement, when sets began to mix professional options among the leisure clothes, mirroring women’s increased entry into professional employment. Lydia, published in 1977, owns career wear as well as play clothes.
Credit
National Women's History Museum
Here Comes the Bride(s)
An enduring archetype was the bride paper doll. Publishers regularly released bridal party paper doll sets decade by decade, positioning marriage as an important adult milestone and a goal in and of itself. So important was the role of “bride” that some sets neglected to include grooms. Bridal paper doll outfits codified wedding pageantry, using fashion to engage girls in the fantasy while enabling them to playact the cultural role of “bride”. These two paper dolls sets, published 30 years apart in 1949 and 1978, show that the fashion elements of a dream wedding remained remarkably consistent over time.
Credit
National Women's History Museum
Credit
National Women's History Museum
The Rise and Fall of Paper Dolls
Advances in color lithography in the last quarter of the 19th century resulted in hundreds of sets of dolls with colorfully printed wardrobes. These sets remain popular today among collectors both for their beautiful designs and the nostalgia. Paper dolls declined in popularity in the 1960s and 70s, and some blame Mattel’s Barbie. With her fashionable wardrobe, Barbie fulfilled much of the same fantasy play role as paper dolls. Paper dolls’ heyday endured over one hundred years. Today, those dolls and their fashionable paper wardrobes, reflecting the attitudes and assumptions about women’s social roles, tell us a lot in the present about how the popular culture of fashion defined women.
FAQs
The Golden Age of Paper Dolls
The 1930s through the 1950s can perhaps claim the title "Golden Age of Paper Dolls," as their popularity during those years has never been equaled. During the Great Depression, paper toys could be afforded by all.
What is the significance of paper dolls? ›
Long before Sims or Memojis, paper dolls gave people of all ages an outlet to experiment with different identities and styles. Paper dolls have been around since the early 19th century. For most of that time it was very hard to find dolls that represented people of color, non-binary people, or people with disabilities.
What is the history of paper toys? ›
Paper toys date back to ancient times. The history of paper toys can be traced back to the art of origami (or-i-GA-me). The word is based on the Japanese words Ori, which means to fold, and Kami, which means paper. However origami's roots are from China and it spread to Japan somewhere around the sixth century.
What is the history of the Japanese paper doll? ›
The origins of the Japanese paper doll begins with the katashiro or nademono, during the Edo period (1603-1868 CE). The paper dolls were used in purification rites where the doll would be rubbed on the body to eliminate impurities. Many of these rituals were introduced from China to Japan.
What is the story of paper dolls original? ›
Summary Paper Dolls Original is a first-person horror adventure game steeped in Eastern culture. You act a man who is separated from his daughter after a car accident. When he awakes, he finds himself in a deserted Asian mansion.
When did American Girl doll become popular? ›
1986. Our flagship historical characters launch, featuring 18-inch dolls with wide worlds of play for girls ages 8 and up. Each character is highlighted in a book series that explores her era and offers a dramatic understanding of the role women and girls played in shaping our country.
Who might this paper doll symbolize? ›
The song “Paper Doll” also symbolizes the incestuous feelings Eddie has toward Catherine. The lyrics describe how difficult it is to love “a doll that's not your own.” Eddie views Catherine as a doll, a romanticized version of a woman that has no agency and can be controlled by its owner's will.
What is the cultural significance of dolls? ›
Dolls have been part of the human race since prehistoric times, offered as gifts to kings, used in temples representing saints, regularly washed and dressed with handmade clothes and brought among the crops so that they could intercede in favor of man.
Are paper dolls still a thing? ›
Paper dolls are still produced today and Whitman and Golden Co. still publish paper dolls. Besides movie stars, women of leisure tended to be the women featured in paper doll form.
Do kids still play with paper dolls? ›
From fostering creativity and storytelling skills to promoting self-expression and socialization, paper dolls are a timeless treasure that continues to enchant and inspire generations of young dreamers.
The show is based on an original concept created by Chapple who wrote the book “The Girl in the Band,” about her own dramatic rise and fall in the girl band, Bardot. “I'm here as a cheerleader for 'Paper Dolls,'” said Fennessy. “It was very much female led and female driven. And the team has done a great job.
What do paper dolls symbolize? ›
Paper dolls as artifacts illustrate the social expectations for women at particular moments in time. As products of both popular culture and mass marketing, paper dolls are intentionally designed to reflect that society's idealized version of womanhood.
Why were paper dolls popular? ›
The Victorian Era: Peak Popularity and Fashion Commentary
With paper becoming more affordable and printing technology advancing, paper dolls became a household name. They were not just mere toys, but a commentary on the fashion and social norms of the time.
What are paper dolls called? ›
In the 1700s, paper dolls, jointed and mounted on sticks, were called “pantins” meaning dancing, or jumping jack puppets. These were among the first mechanical toys. The early paper dolls were printed in an outfit rather than having removable clothes.
What age are paper dolls appropriate for? ›
I would say they would be good for a child age 4 up, or slightly younger if mature enough. The girls playing with their new set. The clothes are beautifully drawn and very attractive on. A4 has loved dressing the dolls and undressing them.
What year did plastic dolls come out? ›
Until 1869, dolls bodies were made of sewn fabric and filled with bran. The invention of celluloid was a real revolution, much cheaper and less fragile than porcelain, it was well suited to children. Since 1945, most dolls are now made of plastic or synthetic materials.
What were dolls made of in the 1920s? ›
This little guy has a bisque (ceramic) head, glass eyes, and a composition (a mixture of wood pulp and glue) body, typical of dolls made in the early 20th century.
