Most of today's dolls are made as playthings for children, but that has not always been the case. Throughout history, dolls have been used as religious idols, good luck charms, funeral offerings, magical figurines, medicinal objects, puppets, fashion models, and collectors' items.

It is likely that dolls were used as toys even before written history, but we do not know for certain. Historians do know that by the 17th century (1600s), German workshops made toy dolls. By the 19th century (1800s), other countries like France were also making dolls, and Europe became the center of doll making. These European workshops sold a large number of dolls to people in the United States.

The dolls exhibited here were made in the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of the dolls made before World War I (1914) are from Europe. Most of the more recently made dolls were produced in the United States.

Clay, wax, wood, ceramics, papier maché, and plastic are just a few of the materials used to make dolls. The dolls in our exhibit are grouped according to the materials used to make their heads. As you will see, a variety of materials and techniques were used to make the bodies.