Dolls and miniature reproductions

My consuming interest in doll costuming exists on two levels. As a historian, I am fascinated by what these miniature versions of humankind and their clothing reveal about the time in which they were made. Likewise their tiny garments, which are made in imitation of those worn by people of that era, provide a window into period fashion and body image ideals. Antique doll’s clothing often remains in its original form — made from too little fabric to be made over in the name of economy. Even when I was very young, I found myself completely bewitched by those tiny persons, and my hands willing servants to satisfy their insatiable needs for garments, accessories, abodes, etc. Rather like characters in novels (not yet written), they are real to me.