2024 Events
Featured August 9, 2024, through September 14 : Dolls of the Real County Historical Museum
DOLL EXHIBIT has been extended to September 14, 2024!!
Take advantage before it is gone!
I was always intrigued by my aunt’s collection of dolls. She kept all of them tucked away in her trunk and each wrapped in their blankets. Those dolls now reside in my trunk. One doll was always more special to her than the others. It was a hand-me-down China doll, given to her by her aunt. That doll is shown below and verified in the following photo.
As an adult, the Robert Service poem, “Dolls”, brings back memories of my childhood. It reminds me of the stories told by my aunt and the history of her dolls. A copy of the poem will be on display at the museum. I am sure that most families have those same stories and we hope our Doll Feature will spark those memories in you.
The earliest records of “dolls” are dated to 3,000 to 2,000 BC. These “dolls” were carved in wood. They were not called dolls then as that term was not used until the 18th century. Before the 18th Century, they were called “toy babies”. It has been said that these dolls were probably used in religious ceremonies. In 1413, Germany had early-day “doll” makers.
The name Doll is derived from the name Dorothy but was there a little girl named Dorothy, probably? Other countries refer to their dolls by different names.
Through time, dolls have been made from clay, wood, bone, ivory, leather, wax, bisque, paper, plastic, and other materials. Even the earliest dolls resemble humans.
The love of dolls later sparked doll houses and doll hospitals. After all, they needed a place to live and if they broke their arm or other parts they needed the hospital to repair them.
And how can a doll story be told without mentioning, Barbie? Of course, she would need an entire story. Ruth Handler created Barbie in the 1950s for her daughter. The rest of her story is history.
We are featuring our doll collection at the Real County Historical Museum from August 9th through the 31st. We have added a few dolls that belong to our Directors for this Featured Exhibit. We hope that you will drop by and enjoy our collection. If you are 12 years or younger and accompanied by an adult, you can come to the museum for free until the end of August!