Little Colonel Doll Book
When the Little Colonel Doll Book first appeared on book store shelves in 1910, L.C. Page & Company described the hardbound paper doll book as:
A series of "Little Colonel" dolls, — not only the Little Colonel herself, but Betty and Kitty and Mary Ware, yes, and Rob, Phil, and many another of the well loved characters, — even Mom' Beck herself. There are many of them and each has several changes of costume, so that the happy group can be appropriately clad for the rehearsal of any scene or incident in the series. The large, cumbersome sheets of most of the so-called doll "books" have been discarded, and instead each character, each costume, occupies a sheet by itself, the dolls and costumes being cut out only as they are wanted. (Editor's note: this description appeared at the end of "Famous Scouts, Including Trappers, Pioneers, and Soldiers of the Frontier: Their Hazardous and Exciting Adventures in the Mighty Drama of the White Conquest of the American Continent" by Charles Haven Ladd Johnston, L.C. Page & Company, 1910.)
A series of "Little Colonel" dolls, — not only the Little Colonel herself, but Betty and Kitty and Mary Ware, yes, and Rob, Phil, and many another of the well loved characters, — even Mom' Beck herself. There are many of them and each has several changes of costume, so that the happy group can be appropriately clad for the rehearsal of any scene or incident in the series. The large, cumbersome sheets of most of the so-called doll "books" have been discarded, and instead each character, each costume, occupies a sheet by itself, the dolls and costumes being cut out only as they are wanted. (Editor's note: this description appeared at the end of "Famous Scouts, Including Trappers, Pioneers, and Soldiers of the Frontier: Their Hazardous and Exciting Adventures in the Mighty Drama of the White Conquest of the American Continent" by Charles Haven Ladd Johnston, L.C. Page & Company, 1910.)
Some of the Models Used to Create the Paper Doll Book
Annie Fellows Johnston's stepdaughter, Mary G. Johnston, did the artwork for the original doll book, and Kate Matthews helped, by taking photographs that Mary used as models for creating at least some of the dolls. Rebecca Porter and Hattie Cochran were two of Annie Fellows Johnston's real-life inspirations for characters in the series: Mom Beck and the Little Colonel Lloyd Sherman. Her real-life model for May Lilly would have been grown by the time Mary was working on the doll book, so Kate probably found another child to pose for the photo, likely one of Rebecca Porter's grandchildren, who still lived in Pewee Valley.
Little Colonel Doll Book
Related Links
