Why Paper Dolls? Find out why we love to collect, cut, catalog, create, craft and cherish these remarkable paper playthings. By Marguerite Carrithers

 

Why Paper Dolls?

by Marguerite Carrithers
Article reprint from Paperdoll Review Issue 88 (2023)

Why paper dolls? It feels too big for any one person to sum up in a thousand or so words, topped with some pithy jokes and wrapped up in a page or two. Paper dolls have been around for centuries; the first we’d recognize were made in Europe during the mid 1700s, though it wasn’t until 1810 that the first manufactured paper doll, Little Fanny by S&J Fuller of London, was made. And they certainly aren’t going anywhere any time soon. 

Advancements in technology haven’t made them irrelevant; if anything, they’ve made them more accessible than ever before. Even in my own life, paper dolls appeared again and again throughout my memories in a way I hadn’t previously realized. My grandmother introduced me to them, and my earliest attempts at drawing were paper dolls. For a brief strange period in fifth grade, I was even selling them to kids at my school. Paper dolls in all their deceptive simplicity keep showing up in magazines, activity books and online, without ever raising an eyebrow or seeming out of place. So what keeps bringing us back?

Maybe it was just something too large or obvious to be answered. But it was a question I kept coming back to, especially as someone lucky enough to have an internship with Paperdoll Review. So I went about trying to answer it as best I could, which is to say by first asking others. I put out the question to artists and collectors within the paper doll community, including several Facebook groups, and the response I received was both absolutely amazing and somewhat overwhelming. People shared some of their favorite memories of paper dolls, their first experiences, and even some paper dolls that were especially notable for them. The paper doll community is one that is exceptionally welcoming and I am very thankful for that fact. And while I was not able to include all of the responses, each was invaluable. With over a hundred responses, patterns quickly began to emerge. Whether they came into people’s lives as children or later, some qualities ensured that paper dolls remain as relevant as ever.

Accessibility
“They are low-tech,” said paper doll artist David Wolfe. “Just a pair of scissors is all you need … It’s important to note that paper dolls are absolutely affordable.” Many of those who discovered paper dolls in their childhood spoke about their accessibility in comparison to fashion dolls or other toys available. Sheryl Knowles shared that in a childhood where moving was common due to family in the Air Force, paper dolls were ideal for being able to carry many in a shoebox. For others, like fashion designer and FIT professor Renaldo Barnette or artist Gregg Nystrom, paper dolls were easier for a young boy interested in fashion and glamour to get his hands on than something like Barbie. Even outside of paper dolls found in magazines, comics or books, anyone can create their own paper dolls so long as they have paper and a pencil. In this way, they also are limitless in the stories that can be created.

Paper Dolls as Tactile Play
Current research shows that children learn through play, especially. But it’s not just them. Play is how we first make sense of the world around us, building nerve connections and  observing cause and effect. It’s how we begin to figure out what we might want our lives to look like and what we think is possible. Play has also been discovered to be useful for adults as well, with it helping maintain problem-solving skills and thinking on your feet. This is even truer when it comes to what is called tactile or sensory play (which might more traditionally just be called play, to further complicate things) where one is physically interacting with an object or the world around them. Don’t get me wrong, as a member of Gen Z I’m grateful that I’ve basically always had modern technology at my disposal but there’s a reason the toy world didn’t go completely virtual like some predicted it might in the ’90s. Physical interaction is how we know we’re connected to the world around us and that we have a place in it. 2020 made this clearer than ever, with people flocking to activities like baking or crafting in the absence of being able to go outside.

Paper dolls are an ideal form of tactile play, combining creativity with a material component. They may be beautiful simply on the page (more on that later), but in use they shine. Teri Pettit points out that “There are other kinds of art toys that were popular in the ’60s and ’70s, like Paint by Number kits, Lite Brite, Spirograph, string art, etc., but for most of them you do the picture creation phase, and then you’re done with it and have to move on. But with paper dolls and paper play scenes, you first create something, and then you have a real toy when you’re done.” Becky Mueller uses paper dolls when tutoring six- year-olds, “They’re a fun way to teach vocabulary like arm, shirt, lace, etc. and the girls get to take the dolls home when they successfully learn to read the words.” Melissa Pepe recalled from her own experience that practicing fine motor skills came easier when her mother gave her paper dolls to cut out.

Paper Dolls as Historical Record
Many paper dolls depict historical periods, with fashion historians like Brenda Sneathen Mattox, Tom Tierney, Norma Lu Meehan, and many others who’ve worked within the paper doll industry. They also function as cultural artifacts of the time they were produced, for better and for worse. They are a portal into the time that created them and sometimes, when created after the fact, a way of acknowledging histories that may not always be as visible. Paper dolls have been tied to everything from celebrities to art movements to the ever-changing world of fashion. “They are iconic in representing styles, culture and fashions from specific decades,” said Jeannine Parent. Unlike a book or documentary, they’re something that can be manipulated and used to let the past and present interact. Any historian will tell you that paper, along with fabric, is the most difficult material to preserve and yet often can yield some of the most information on what culture of the time was like. The work of those who scan and archive paper dolls from the past is incredibly valuable, not only for those who enjoy it now but for those who will one day be studying the world we live in. They also, as pointed out by Marcia Dennis Lickei, can be much more compact to store than vintage textiles.

Paper Dolls as Art Objects
At the end of the day, paper dolls are tiny pieces of art. Even better, they’re art that can be held. Paper doll artist Kwei-lin Lum says “Paper dolls resonate with me as an uncut art form, at their best mysterious arrangements of objects in a two-dimensional space.” Each artist brings their own style to paper dolls, an extension of how they create. Paper dolls can also be easier for artists to mass-produce. I know that I own ones from artists whom I will never be able to afford original work from. “My parents had a book on art history that I perused for hours on end,” says Dawn Kiefer, “ I think the combination of paper dolls and the art history book led to my lifelong interest in art appreciation as well as the evolution of fashion.” For Sylvia Kleindinst, paper dolls led to a career in art education. Whether they’re in a frame, a book, or cut out ready to tell whatever story you can imagine, the same thing which draws us to all forms of art draws us to paper dolls. Humans have the ability to seek out beauty. In some ways it makes us what we are. In art school, much of the first year is devoted to circular conversations on how to define art, but that’s almost beside the point. People will always want to create, whether it’s statues or cave paintings or, yes, paper dolls.

And I think that might be my answer, at least, to “why paper dolls,” since it feels unfair to ask everyone a question without giving my own response. It’s some incredible combination of all of the above. There’s something instinctual about paper dolls. “It’s a ‘heart’ thing,” says Susan Plante Witmeyer. “They tug, remind, comfort, delight.” Paper dolls will remain for the same reason we keep making art or playing, which is to say it’s so a part of us that there may not be any simple reason. Children left to their own devices will find ways to imagine even if just given paper and pencils. No matter what myths we tell about maturity, we’re not going to grow past that.

Marguerite Carrithers is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and interned for Paperdoll Review in 2021. Her articles have appeared in Paperdoll Review issues #81 and #86.  

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Title image: Saalfield’s The Little Dressmaker Paper Dolls (1949).

2024 Year in Review from Paperdoll Review - More than 2 Dozen New Books and Marvelous Magazine Issues

 

Shown here is just a sampling of the new books we published throughout 2024 covering fashion history, Classic Hollywood, folk costumes, bridal gowns, historic figures, fanciful characters and adorable children. 

Our titles represent a Who's Who among paper doll artists—Eileen Rudisill Miller, Julie Allen Matthews, Brenda Sneathen Mattox, Alina Kolluri, Kwei-lin Lum, Sandra Vanderpool, Deanna Williams, Jim Howard, Tom Tierney and Marilyn Henry. Plus we've introduced a few more vintage reproductions including the darling Judy & Jim paper doll book by Hilda Miloche from 1948.

We're delighted to bring two additional artists into our fold—Dan DeSantis and Ralph Hodgdon. Ralph has been self-publishing his paper dolls for decades and he recently turned over a big stack of his original art for us to transform into beautifully published paper doll books. Dan DeSantis is a name that some folks might remember from the 1990s when he was contributing paper dolls to OPDAG's Paper Doll Studio magazine. An artist and fashion designer, he's found his way back to paper dolls. His first book is Cairo Pemberton, an Egyptologist and Socialite. In 2025 we'll publish two more books featuring Cairo's friends Mandaling and Lockie. 

For a behind-the-scenes look at some of these books, visit Julie Allen Matthews' Paper Doll School Blog. Julie has a hand in just about every project we do, including our magazine, which I'll talk about next. 

Though our magazine subscription is quarterly, it takes a little longer than three months to get a new issue out. So I like to say it's a 4-issue subscription to give myself (and our contributors) a little extra time between issues. 

Our first edition of 2024, Issue 90 is a celebration of Hollywood Glamour with features on Ava Gardner (including a dress-a-doll), Brits in Hollywood, Hollywood Sopranos, plus fabric rendering tips, UK greeting cards and more. Issue 91 covers Colonial Fashion, Native American PDs, History of Pockets, Cataloging Paper Dolls and more. Issue 92 has a few wintery themed features including Santa paper dolls, Nativity play sets, Victorian Christmas Traditions and a dress-a-doll. We also cover rare paper dolls from the 1830s, how-tos from vintage books and the 2024 paper doll convention report. Each issue is a visual delight, with a beautiful balance of paper doll art and articles. To keep our magazine in print it's important to keep up our subscription base, so if you're not already a subscriber, I hope you'll give it a try! Click here to subscribe. 

My goal this year is to keep up with my blog! With the assistance of Julie—the queen of project management—I've come up with a monthly plan of things to share throughout the year. Speaking of calendars, I highly recommend Julie's 2025 paper doll calendar called Emma McKay Every Day. 

Here's to a paperdolly new year!

New Paper Doll Books Coming in 2024!

What's coming next? That's a question we often hear from eager collectors. So here's a sneak preview of some of the titles we'll be publishing throughout 2024. Several are re-issues of sets that were long ago self-published by the artists. Thanks to our agreements with the artists and their estates—as well as the graphic wizardry of Julie Allen Matthews—we're able to offer a wonderful variety of art and subjects reformatted into collectible paper doll books. These titles include Ladies at Leisure, Art Deco Bride and Lord Robert: The Queen's Favorite by Sandra Vanderpool; and Expressions of Erté and European Folk Costumes Vol. 1 by Deanna Williams. 

Marilyn Henry's classic star paper dolls are highly desired among collectors, and this fall we'll have her beautiful Barbara Stanwyck book. At the request of Marilyn and her family, we'll be re-issuing some of her out-of-print star books originally issued by B. Shackman. I have the gorgeous original art boards for all of those books, and it's a dream to look through them. Marilyn's Stanwyck portrait was recently featured on the cover of our Paperdoll Review magazine issue #90.

Another classic star book to look forward to is Legendary Film Actresses by Eileen Rudisill "Rudy" Miller, featuring four mega stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Rudy will debut the book at the Indianapolis Paper Doll Convention this August, and it will be available on paperdollreview.com around the same time.

Also debuting at the convention is Kwei-lin Lum's Jazz Baby, featuring a fabulous flapper named Babe and her cool and clever wardrobe referencing the Deco lines of the Jazz era with a fun flair from Kwei-lin's imagination. Staying in the same era, Alina Kolluri created a darling wardrobe for seven little dears in Deco Kids. They'll be the cat's pajamas in sailor suits, pretty plaids, fancy frocks and polka dots. 

Keep an eye on paperdollreview.com for these books and more! 

Remembering David Wolfe: Iconic Fashion Illustrator, Fashion Trend Forecaster, Paper Doll Artist and My Best Friend

David Wolfe 1941-2023

My Amazing Friend David Wolfe
by Jenny Taliadoros

Reprinted from Paperdoll Review issue #87, Spring 2003 (out of print)
Click here for a PDF of the article.

I have often thought of David as the puppet master, pulling the strings of many colorful characters in his grand paper doll show. And I was lucky enough to be cast as his leading lady. Appropriately, David referred to the last 20 years of his life as his third act. Act 1: Leading Fashion Illustrator. Act 2: Top Trend Forecaster. Act 3: Paper Doll Maestro.   

David entered my life early in 2002 when he joined OPDAG, following the advice of Gene Maiden whom he met at the Ken Knutsen auction in Chicago. Right away, David submitted a paper doll for our hat-themed Paper Doll Studio issue #71, and it was obvious 

I saw something exceptional in his artistic style and fashion flair. His subsequent submissions were just as fabulous—coy Alice in Wonderland for issue #72, marvelous medieval costumes for issue #73, and his Zsa Zsa Gabor landed on the cover of our Vintage TV issue #74. 

We met in real life at the 2004 Providence paper doll convention. It was a costume night, and I looked ridiculous in a dramatic white pantsuit, giant false lashes and a big blonde wig. At that moment did David know our meeting was kismet? As a gifted trend forecaster, he likely did. Soon after, I asked David to join OPDAG’s editorial team. When I called his office in New York, the conversation went like this: “Hi David, this is Jenny Taliadoros from OPDAG and I was wondering if you’d like to…” “Yes!” David said without knowing what I was about to ask. The very next issue, Paper Doll Studio #80, Fall 2004, announced David’s addition to our staff of managing editors. He was also the issue’s featured artist. “Not only do I love collecting and creating paper dolls,” he wrote in his first article, “but I feel that I owe them a debt of gratitude. If it hadn’t been for paper dolls I never would have had the exciting career in fashion that I’ve enjoyed for more than forty years.”

Full page ad in British Vogue.

What was David’s exciting career in fashion? If I had grasped the gravity of it all, I would have been way too intimidated to ask David to work for free on what was then a little black-and-white publication with just 350 subscribers. 

“From Ashtabula to Paris” is how David described his rocket launch from window dresser of a small-town Ohio department store to sketching the latest collections in designer salons across Europe. Working for Carlisle’s Department store throughout much of the 1960s, David became a big fish in a small pond, creating cutting-edge ad campaigns, producing exciting fashion shows, designing innovative window displays, and stocking the racks with fashion-forward merchandise.

On a trip to England in 1968, David showed his portfolio to the advertising director of London’s prestigious retailer, Fortnum & Mason. The response was more than David could have ever imagined. He was asked to leave for Paris that afternoon to sketch Ungaro’s new collection for a series of ads that would appear in British Vogue. For the next decade he traveled to the world’s fashion capitals, drawing thousands of illustrations which appeared in top fashion magazines, newspapers and trade journals. 

Along the way, he became restless to do more than document current fashion. He joined forces with Leigh Rudd, creator of IM International, to spearhead something new—fashion forecasting. As the creative director of IM, David drew on a variety of sources—not just what people were wearing on the street, but what books they were reading, the music they listened to, and the latest developments in science and politics—to predict what people would be craving and wearing next. The IM International Report was published monthly from 1968 to 1988 and was distributed in 16 countries to clients such as Eastman Chemical, DuPont, Harrods, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. 

In 1992 David brought his innovative approach to The Doneger Group in New York, where his dynamic fashion forecasting presentations were standing-room-only events. His insights were in high demand and he became one of the most quoted authorities in the fashion industry. The National UK described David as “the oracle of fashion trends.”

This sums up our friendship!

It seems like I spoke with David a million times during his Doneger years—David in his Seventh Avenue office overlooking the Macy’s loading dock, me in my basement office in the mountains of Maine. While his work in the fashion biz was still in full swing, David carved out time for paper dolls—drawing them, talking about them, writing about them, and cheerleading the work of other artists. 

It was the mid-2000s. Small paper doll publishers were vanishing and Dover was producing fewer and fewer books. But David could foresee a rebirth and a return to the Golden Age of Paper Dolls. Pulling those puppet strings, David encouraged me to start my own publishing company and he quickly became an integral part of every aspect of my business. David felt like an extension of myself and my work. Ending a phone call I’d say, “We’ll stay in touch constantly … if not more often.” And David would laugh every time.  

Joining David early on were well-known paper doll artists of the time—Marilyn Henry, Tom Tierney, Brenda Sneathen Mattox, Sandra Vanderpool, Judy M Johnson, Charlotte Whatley, Bruce Patrick Jones and Norma Lu Meehan. They all got on board with my fledgling company, Paper Studio Press, providing top-notch work for the modest fees I was able to pay. And David had a hand in every single project. One of his most important contributions was bringing acclaimed fashion illustrator Jim Howard on board. More artists joined the stable and over the years I’ve published more than 175 titles through Paper Studio Press and dozens more under my Paperdoll Review imprint. 

Just a few of the dozens of paper doll books illustrated by David Wolfe.

Puppetmaster David was behind it all. A huge fan of his fellow artists, he was thrilled to choose topics for them, design their books, and write essays to go with their art. And then he’d write the promotional copy! The rebirth of paper dolls was happening right before our very eyes. David alone illustrated more than 50 published paper doll books—including many classic movie stars. His third act now included real star players. Not only did he draw paper dolls of his movie idols, he got to meet some of them, too! When Doris Day sang praises of his work during a treasured phone chat, David thought his life was complete.

His enthusiasm for All Things Paper Doll continued in the pages of OPDAG’s magazine and Paperdoll Review, writing 95 articles covering a wide range of topics relating to fashion, Classic Hollywood, Broadway, royalty, drawing tips and convention reports. 

David LOVED paper doll conventions, which offered a cast of characters who brought him endless joy. Meeting and getting to know these wonderful, quirky, talented, interesting, marvelous people fueled David until the next paper doll gathering. He put the pizzazz in every convention he attended, often running the show as emcee. Everyone I know has had something wonderful to say about David. He gave so freely of himself, of his talents, his humor, his praise, his enthusiasm and his love. And we loved him right back.

Scott Jorgenson, long-time friend of David’s, said the paper doll community brought David a level of happiness and contentment he’d never experienced before. When his health declined from Parkinson’s disease, he kept on creating. When his hands became too shaky to paint, he collaborated with Julie Allen Matthews who’d render and color his sketches. He continued to come up with book designs for artists, such as Alina Kolluri’s recent Teen Scene Paper Dolls. When he could no longer research and write articles, he wrote movie reviews for our little movie club of three—David, Rudy Miller and myself. And when dementia took hold, David’s mixed-up mind put him in glamorous settings, and he’d tell tales of travels and fashion shows and talking to movie stars. He managed to have the Hollywood version of dementia.  

After a fall last October, his health quickly deteriorated. He spent the last six months in a nursing home, his dear husband, Francisco Murillo, looking after him every day. He passed away on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at the age of 82. He is survived by his son Zach and two step-daughters Lynette and Nicole. His daughter Amanda Hallay Heath passed away on January 25, 2023, following a serious illness. Amanda was connected to the fashion industry as a professor, writer and consultant. She presented at our 2017 Philadelphia convention and contributed several articles to our paper doll magazines. 

My life is forever changed because of David. I hope to carry on his legacy through my continued work with paper dolls and my love of the paper doll community. Julie Matthews summed it up well when she said, “I can’t fill his shoes, but I can wear his slippers.”