Colorful paper dolls that sold everything from coffee to cathartics, from tea to thread, from cocoa to corsets. These dolls were the playthings of generations of children from the 1890s to the First World War.
These wonderful examples of advertising art include fanciful characters from the imagination of artists like Palmer Cox. Dolls dressed in the national costumes of the many immigrants to the United States had a special appeal to everyone. Dolls depicting characters from favorite nursery rhymes and folk tales were issued by many advertisers; these dolls filled the playtime hours of many. Dolls appealing to our patriotism take on the form of Uncle Sam, soldiers, and sailors. Dolls also appeared as Americans at work and play. Human characteristics were even ascribed to animals of all kinds to give children an opportunity to dress them up in colorful costumes. It is difficult to find a segment of society not represented by a paper doll!
Whether you’re a collector or someone simply interested in the charm and culture of turn-of-the-century America, this book is sure to make a good addition to your library.[AuthorName]Lagretta Metzger Bajorek[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Lagretta Metzger Bajorek grew up in Bowling Green, Ohio, with her twin sister, Loretta Metzger Rieger. Both were talented in art and loved history, and are graduates of Bowling Green State University.

While teaching elementary school in Garfield Heights, Ohio, she attended classes at The Cleveland Institute of Art, where an interest in intaglio, (engraved copper plates), helped to widen her study of the printing process. Through the years, her paper doll collection has continued her exploration of lithography.

She began collecting advertising paper dolls after receiving from her father in 1965 his sister’s trade card albums. She found two sets of coffee dolls in the albums, starting a diligent search of the Midwest. Over the years, she has collected a good representation of paper dolls and toys in the field of advertising.

Lagretta and her husband Ben have two grown children, and reside in Dearborn, Michigan. She is a charter member of the Paper Doll Court of Southeast Michigan.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]508 color photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle][/SubTitle][ColorPattern]508 color photos[/ColorPattern]