The desire to collect small representations of the human form is nearly as old as civilization itself. Long before modern fandom and online marketplaces, people preserved figurines as religious artifacts, status symbols, and historical records. Understanding this history reveals that today’s collector culture is part of a tradition spanning millennia.
The History of Doll and Figure Collecting
Archaeological evidence shows that simple figures made of wood, clay, and alabaster were placed in Egyptian tombs as early as 2000 B.C. Children’s graves from ancient Greece and Rome have yielded dolls of marble and clay, suggesting these objects held both sentimental and spiritual significance. Written sources from the early European Middle Ages mention dolls, though few survive from this period.
The organized pastime of doll collecting, however, can be traced to the 18th century. Germany and France emerged as early centers of European doll manufacture, producing both children’s toys and elaborate fashion dolls. These fashion dolls, dressed in the latest costumes and coiffures, were commissioned so that European courts could follow trends from Paris—essentially functioning as three-dimensional fashion magazines for royalty.
Two of the earliest documented collectors were Henri d’Allemagne and Jacques Seligmann, whose collections preserved Napoleonic-era dolls for posterity. In the early 20th century, American collectors like Laura Starr, Annie Alden Fields, and Marie Koenig began using dolls as teaching tools. Starr’s 1908 book “The Doll Book” became an early reference, and her collection eventually formed part of the International Doll Library Foundation before being donated to the Museum of the City of New York.
Organized doll collecting formally began in the United States when The Doll Collectors of America formed in 1935, followed by the National Doll and Toy Club in 1937. By 1949, these groups had evolved into the United Federation of Doll Clubs, which remains active today. Early collectors focused on glazed and unglazed china heads from the Victorian era, while subsequent generations sought French and German bisque dolls from manufacturers like Jumeau, Bru, and Simon and Halbig.
Notable collectors have included royalty such as Queen Victoria, who as a princess meticulously cataloged her collection of 132 peg-wooden dolls in a copybook she titled “List of my dolls.” Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Carmen de Sylva of Romania, and actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Shirley Temple Black also maintained significant collections. Philanthropist Margaret Woodbury Strong’s collection survives today at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
The auction market for dolls transformed in the late 1960s when houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s began holding regular doll auctions, elevating collecting from private passion to international trade. Today, specialized publications, price guides, and museums like the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art continue serving collectors who view themselves as curators and preservationists.
Whether collecting antique bisque or modern vinyl, today’s enthusiasts participate in a tradition where each acquisition connects them to collectors across centuries, each figure a tangible link to the past.