These paper dolls are from the June 1865 issue of Gazette de la Poupée. I did my best to retouch the fold lines. But I’ll give you both the before, and after, versions so you can choose for yourself which you like best.
This is the image I had to start with, copied from museum archives in France:
This is what it looks like after I retouched the fold lines and brought the original color back out:
Have fun! And thank you all again for following along with me on this crazy costuming journey.
I cut out the paper dolls and folded them up. The entire thing folds up into an oval hand fan with a point at the bottom. I did need to trim the oval leaves a bit so they were all the same size.
If you fold it correctly, the front and the back of the oval fan blades will have the printing. I also enhanced the colors a bit with colored pencils.
I saw something like this that was given out as a souvenir at The Great Exhibition…only that one was a snowflake that folded up with pictures from the Exhibition on it. I am wondering if this paper doll item was a souvenir for the ladies at a ball or Fete of some kind?
Wow! I’d love to see a photo of that. The paper dolls are from a child’s magazine, so it would be hard to say if they were meant as a souvenir for a specific event. But how interesting that they can be made into a fan!
It’s reminiscent of a paddle fan. Are you going to try folding it up?
The souvenir fold up rose from the exhibition was reproduced by Kathleen Torres. (I was wrong, it was a fold up rose, not a snowflake.) I think there may still be a picture of it in her album on the FFDSC.
If you like paper dolls, the dolls that were given out during the World Doll Day print out just under 5 inches, and they are high resolution so they print nicely. The folk outfits are separate fronts and backs, so rather than taping them to the paper doll front and back, I smudged a bit of eye setting wax at the front and back neck of each costume to anchor the outfit on top, and then made a stand for each of the two paper dolls to anchor the bottom of the outfit. BTW, how does one post a picture in the comments on this site? Is that even possible?
I saw another WDD presentation of the paper dolls where the lady printed and cut out her paper dolls, and then laminated each doll and all the outfits front and back. She then taped the outfits on. Her presentation was FABULOUS! I liked the one she made better than the one I did! Kathleen W.
I don’t think posting a photo here is possible. As for the setting wax, I think that’s perfect. You know much more than I do about paper dolls, but I have read that the reason the earlier ones don’t have tabs on the clothes is exactly that – they used wax bits to hold the clothes on.
LOL…what I know about paper dolls would fit in a very small thimble! KW
Love your paper dolls! Are they meant to fold up into a wedge, or are they meant to lay flat? Kathleen W.
I hadn’t even considered the wedge thing. . . what do you think? I always thought they were meant to be flat, but now you have me wondering!
LOL, I don’t know…but they LOOK like they were meant to fold up. I will have to try it to see.
Love this! I have always enjoyed paper dolls. this one is so perfect.
Thank you.
You’re welcome, Sylvia. Enjoy!
Gorgeous paper doll and your artistic “enhancements”. Not only a doll lover, I have always been obsessed with paper dolls – club in Michigan going on 25 years now!
Glad you enjoyed them, Louise!
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.