National Museum of Play Online Collections

Dorothy Quincy

paper doll

1902

The development of chromolithography in the last years of the 19th century ushered in an era of inexpensive printing that manufacturers exploited to market their wares. Advertisements in magazines and newspapers broadcast convenient foods and consumer goods, but many companies also used trade cards shaped like paper dolls and toys to sell their products. Little boys and girls with outfits of colorful, middle-class fashions of the day seemed to be the most popular subjects of these premium paper toys.

Materialchromolithographed paper | die cut
OriginElkhart, IN
Object ID78.14166

All artifact images, interpretive information, and website text
© The Strong.

Creative Commons LicenseOnline Collections by The Strong is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.