Reviewed by Vonnie Alto, Regional Coordinator

A permanent exhibit that showcases rare autos, many built in Cleveland with information about the models, mechanical specifics, and a a history of the car companies.

Stunning, elegant beauties!

A feast for the eyes!

Reviewed by Vonnie Alto, Regional Coordinator

"All Dolled Up - 200 Years of Dolls & Miniatures" surveyed a history of dolls “from the 1830s to present-day—including porcelain and rag dolls, Barbie dolls, and the American Girl dolls--and of course, fashion.

Captured on film are historic and vintage dolls  such as the Madame Alexandra doll and its spin off spin off of literature dolls such as the Louisa May Alcott's The Little Women Dolls.

Seemingly every aspect of dolls was portrayed in an array of doll vignettes.

This exhibit explored the psychology of how children experience dolls and the many ways that children connect with their dolls. How fascinating it is to ponder the relationship of a doll to a child: "what were dolls made from, how were they played with, and how real were they in the child's mind?"  

The exhibit noted that dolls stir the imagination and provide a confidant to children in which they confide their "childish trials."

Dolls are also treasured companions. They are loved, given names and birthdays, they're hugged, taken on travels and travel with other doll companions. They are also often pictured in portraits with children.

Author G. Stanley Hall and A. Caswell Ellis in their book, A Study of Dolls (1897), wrote that, "a doll can be taken anywhere and treated every way as a sure favorite."

Dolls have social lives and participate in doll parties complete with miniature tea sets. Dolls receive mail in the form of tiny letters created by the child who owns the doll.

Of course, dolls even lead secret lives.  When children and grown ups are out of the room, dolls come alive. There's many imaginative doll stories about this happening such as A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905).   

There was also doll feeding included crying and wetting dolls, doll dishes and food made for dolls, or children using their imagination to create their own dishes from all sorts of items such as walnut shells for doll bowls.

Historical forms of transportation were shown, as dolls had their own transportation and rode in carriages led by toy horses

Doll houses and miniature rooms  and doll collecting is another aspect of dolls. Often children inherited a family of dolls. Frequently, dolls and dollhouses were passed down to the next generation often at Christmas.

Fashion dolls imitated the fashions of the era. They were primarily made to sell fashionable clothing and were purchased by the wealthy. They "wore detailed gowns and accessories that mirrored real clothing."

The historical aspect of dolls was depicted in other ways. The exhibit noted that most dolls of color were home made. African American children often held white dolls because of their availability and the pervasive prejudice that existed. When white children played with black dolls, it was the black dolls that served the doll families--play imitating life and oppression in historical eras. 

Then there's paper dolls which are more affordable and easier to make at home from "scraps of wallpaper, tissue paper, and other ephemera to reflect the latest fashions."

There's also doll scrapbooks and albums with clippings from newspapers, magazines, and catalogs depicting a variety of miniature rooms as a backdrop for playing with dolls. 

Toy shops sold wardrobes and doll accessories. Those who could afford it purchased ready made doll clothes and accessories or hand made their own from scraps of worn out dresses or from home sewn projects. Ditto for doll furnishings which were also handmade by children and their family members. However, magazines and books provided instructions for sewing doll furnishings such as mattresses, pillows, beddings, and quilts. 

Children learned how to sew by creating wardrobes and accessories for their dolls with or without a pattern. Catalog companies such as McCalls and Butterick sold doll clothing patterns. Some dolls were tucked into bed with a hand stitched doll sized quilt.

Storied dolls were also profiled as exemplified by the American Girl Dolls where they help tell stories of historical times past .

How fascinating to explore the history of dolls, their many uses, and and how they evolved!