Bartlett Historical Society has two more presentation dates for Diane Snell’s extensive collection of paper dolls emphasizing the “Golden Age of Paper Dolls” between 1930 and 1950. The paper dolls will be on display 2-4 p.m. on March 17 and April 7 in the Bartlett Museum/Gotten House, 2969 Court Street in Bartlett.
The first showing of the paper dolls on March 3 included a tea party for children and adults.
Both remaining exhibit dates will showcase paper dolls with real hair, “wink and kiss” paper dolls and a Shirley Temple paper doll collection, to name just a few. Snell, a Bartlett resident, also will be available to answer guests’ questions about paper dolls. Admission is free, but donations to the Bartlett Historical Society will be accepted.
Her complete collection includes originals and reproductions, from one as early as 1928 to others as new as the 1990s. The collection reflects fashion trends and the society of each doll’s era, and the dolls range from infants to adult fashion models, complete families and even celebrities like the famous Dionne quintuplets. Some sets include paper furniture, such as a complete nursery set. Snell said she also has plenty of paper dolls from Minneapolis newspapers in the 1930s.
Her decade-spanning collection includes paper dolls that represent “Welcome Back, Kotter,” Mary Poppins, Native Americans, the Tippy-Toes doll and many more recognizable figures.
