History of fashion dolls

A history of fashion Dolls
The history of dolls dates back to BC but the use of dolls in promoting fashion can be traced back to 1396 when the court Tailor for Charles IV paid 450 francs for an entire dolls wardrobe to be sent to the Queen of England from the Queen of Bavaria. They were life sized dolls presumably made to the measurements of the Queen of England.
Louis XIV was known to send life sized dolls to every European court, depicting the latest styles and accessories. These dolls included every construction detail and dressmakers were able to remove the clothing and make patterns. If it was necessary they would unpick the garments, assess the cut, make a pattern and re-sew the garment. They represented the latest trends in fabric and trimmings.
The peak of French fashion dolls were the mid 1800’s. They were between 9 and 30 inches tall. They had leather bodies, stuffed with horsehair or sawdust, bisque or porcelain heads and glass eyes. The most prized had jointed wooden bodies.
These dolls were very popular amongst affluent Victorians who liked to buy them for their daughters to teach them the correct way to dress. They were also used to help perfect sewing techniques; they would use fabric remnants to create identical outfits to their mothers.

There were entire shops in Paris dedicated to selling dolls items: parasols, wigs, shoes, furniture, gloves and stationary. Every necessary item was replicated in miniature.
In an 1865 edition of La Poupee magazine which was a monthly edition dedicated to doll fashion and containing patterns. It listed 95 items which were necessary for a full dolls wardrobe, it contained 7 dresses, 4 blouses, 2 veils, Russian boots and 3 different capes to name a few.
After WWII the couturiers of Paris created a representation of fashion history. It was called the Theatre De La Mode. It showed in 1945 and was called “perfection in miniature”.
It showed the fashions of France in post WWII, made by the country’s finest designers. It toured Europe and America. Its first stop was Sanfransisco, where it remained until the early 50’s. It was re-discovered in the Maryhill museum of art in Goldendale, Washington in 1952 where it had been preserved beautifully. It had a second world tour in 1990, visiting Paris, New York, Baltimore, Portland and Tokyo. It featured 9 different stage sets.
The Theatre De La Mode still resides at Maryhill Museum of Art and each year they have 3 of the 9 backdrops on display for the mannequins who display the casual and formal wear of past days.