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Milner Library

Lois Lenski Doll Collection

Two dolls stitched together, a man and a woman.

Lois Lenski was a prolific author and illustrator of children’s books, known especially for her American Regionals series. Lenski was also an avid doll collector, and this collection was donated to Illinois State University along with many of her research scrapbooks and original book illustrations.

Lenski’s doll collection is international in scope and reflects (among other things) roles that young women held in society over the course of roughly 100 years. While the bulk of the dolls are from the mid-20th century, the oldest item in the collection dates to the late 18th century. The dolls are made from a variety of materials including paper, porcelain, bean bags, cornhusks, wood, and bisque.

How to Access

View the Collection

Special Collections
Milner Library, Floor 6

Collection Contact

Rebecca Fitzsimmons
Special Collections Librarian
rlfitzs@IllinoisState.edu

Collection Highlights

  • This small molded doll with painted facial features is made of bisque. She has blond hair and movable arms.

    Porcelain dolls

    From tiny nude penny dolls to lavish China dolls in elegant dresses, the iconic styles of these human figures made wholly or partially of porcelain and bisque originated in Germany in the early 19th century.

  • This is a coconut husk doll with a stump type body. Her facial features are stitched, and she wears a multicolored patchwork skirt and top, a beaded necklace, earrings, and a black bonnet.

    Costume Dolls

    Often sold as tourist goods, these colorful dolls in their traditional garb may evoke a sense of mid-century kitsch today, but they were originally designed to serve both a decorative and didactic purpose.

  • Paper doll in a floral dress

    Paper Dolls

    Cheap, versatile, and easy to make at home, paper dolls give children the opportunity to experiment with haute couture fashions and create their own fabulous outfits from readily available materials.

  • China doll with cape, circa 1860

    19th century dolls

    Many of today’s most collectible dolls have their origins in the manufacturing advances of the industrial revolution.

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