Paper Cut-Out Dolls

The Clarendon Collection includes a number of magazine type paper cut-out dolls together with an envelope post marked Melbourne 1931. These dolls came from the 1917 issues of the American publication " Ladies' Home Journal " and were the work of the very popular and prolific paper-doll artist Sheila Young.

Ms Young had an eye for fashion and was able to give each doll individual features and characteristics. Although completely fictional the dolls’ characters were portrayed as having extensive families and backgrounds.

The majority of the dolls in the collection feature the characters “Lettie Lane” and “Betty Bonnet”. Lettie was first published in the LHJ during 1908 and quickly spread to include a family of parents, brothers, sisters and cousins. During 1915 Betty Bonnet was added together with her family. Betty was portrayed as part of the wealthy middle class having a large wardrobe and a household that included maids, a chauffeur, footman, cook and nanny.

These particular paper dolls were printed in colour and designed to be cut out and then pasted to cardboard. They were accompanied by hats, coats, dresses, shoes and accessories (including the dolls’ own dolls) which were affixed to the bodies with paper tabs.

Each month a new sheet of dolls was included in the magazine complete with seasonal clothes, often with appropriate themes such as ‘Lettie Lane Comes Home for Christmas’ (LHJ 1915) or ‘Betty Bonnet’s Halloween Party’ (LHJ 1917).

They tended to provide an accurate record of the fashions of the day and also insights into the concerns of the society at the time. In many sheets the men are portrayed as having US service uniforms as well as civilian dress ( ‘Betty Bonnet’s Big Brother’ LHJ 1917) and the women as having American Red Cross pinafores (‘Betty Bonnet’s Household Servants’ LHJ 1918).

An interest in foreign dress was thoroughly exploited in a series where “Lettie’s big sister” sent back details whilst on her world-wide honeymoon. (‘Lettie Lane’s Around-the-World Party’ LHJ 1910).

Paper dolls in magazines have been available since the middle of the 19th century. The concept remains popular even today, being found both in printed publications and in electronic format on the internet. They have been extensively used as a marketing tool as well as a source of inexpensive children’s’ playthings. Whilst dress-up images of celebrities have always been popular the dolls in this collection are of idealized characters with which the children of the day could identify.