Wisconsin Historical Society Doll Collection

Composition Doll (girl, worn undergarments, England, 1830-1880) and Milwaukee Handicraft Project Dolls. From the Wisconsin Historical Society Doll Collection. "...In the early 20th century doll collecting became a popular hobby among women, so it is not surprising that the Wisconsin Historical Museum acquired its first doll from a female donor in 1913. Since then the museum has collected almost 1,200 more dolls. For decades the museum staff kept many of them on display in the basement of the headquarters building, where they were tremendously popular, especially among girls. In 1986 the museum moved to its new location on Madison's Capitol Square and the dolls returned to storage. The dolls are finally on view again, but this time on the Wisconsin Historical Museum's online collection Web site."