Abstract: Collection consists of over a century of paper dolls documenting their use as advertisements, and depictions of popular culture, fashion trends, family lifestyles, gender roles, ideal communities,and cultural heroes.
Scope and Contents:
Collection consists of paper dolls dating from the 1800s-1998. The bulk of the paper dolls, however, date from the 1900s-1970s. Due to the Grepkes' careful selection, the paper dolls are in excellent condition, most were never used or played with. In addition, most of the sets are complete, with few or no missing pieces. A sustainable amount of the collection remains in original packaging which often included the periodical or comic book in which it was published, the original box, or a folder or booklet. A substantial amount of these paper dolls was commercially produced with examples of hand-made dolls and clothing. Clothing for the dolls is mostly created from paper with examples of cloth, wood, and plastic. Hand colored commercially produced dolls and clothing also exist within the collection. Special features on the dolls could include hair, plastic eyes, photographic faces, and moveable parts.
The artwork aspect of the collection provides potential research use with illustrations by such paper doll artists as Queen Holden, who was renowned for her dolls of the 1930s, and Tom Tierney, who has depicted almost every celebrity of the 20th century in paper doll form. Originals and reproductions of Grace Gebbie Drayton's (1877-1936) Dolly Dingle paper dolls series, which appeared in the Pictorial Review from 1913-1933, are included among the materials. Drayton is well known for her creation and illustration of the "Campbell Kids." She illustrated books and other publications and designed dolls and toys. Frances Tipton Hunter, creator of the "Little Busy Bodies" who appeared in Women's Home Companion in 1922 and 1923, career spanned from the 1920s to her death in 1957. Besides the "Little Busy Bodies" her work also appeared in periodicals including the Saturday Evening Post, The Delineator, Collier's, and Ladies Home Journal.
Not just seen from the perspective of artwork or playthings the serious scholar will be able to focus on a variety of topics related to the dolls. Researchers interested in fashion, popular culture, and images of women, children, or celebrities will find this collection of great value. The collection has a large representation of movie and television stars from the 1930s through the 1950s. In addition, American notions of ideal family sizes, settings, relationships, teenage life, and leisure activities are represented in the collection. Dates of the paper dolls are most often time of publication rather than era they represent.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in 14 series.
Series 1, Advertisements, circa 1800-1980, undated
Series 2, Animals, circa 1950-1995, undated
Series 3, Celebrities, circa 1930-1995, undated
Subseries 3.1, Film, circa 1930-1995, undated
Subseries 3.2, Music, circa 1950-1995, undated
Subseries 3.3, Pop Culture, circa 1950-1995, undated
Subseries 3.4, Royalty, circa 1950-1995, undated
Subseries 3.5, Stage and Theater, circa 1930-1950, undated
Subseries 3.6, Television, circa 1950-1995, undated
Series 4, Literature, circa 1920-1995, undated
Series 5, Mass Media, circa 1935-1995, undated
Subseries 5.1, Cartoons, circa 1960-1995, undated
Subseries 5.2, Comic Books, circa 1940-1995, undated
Subseries 5.3, Motion Picture Film, circa 1935-1995, undated
Subseries 5.4, Newspapers, circa 1934-1951, undated
Subseries 5.5, Radio, circa 1940-1955, undated
Subseries 5.6, Television, circa 1950-1995, undated
Series 6, Toys, circa 1890-1990, undated
Subseries 6.1, Paper Dolls, circa 1890-1980, undated
Subseries 6.2, Three Dimensional Dolls as Paper Toys, circa 1910-1990, undated
Series 7, Family, circa 1880-1990, undated
Subseries 7.1, Children, circa 1880-1980, undated
Subseries 7.2, Infants, circa 1920-1970, undated
Subseries 7.3, Family, circa 1930-1950, undated
Subseries 7.4, Teenagers, circa 1910-1990, undated
Series 8, Clothing and Fashion, circa 1890-1995, undated
Subseries 8.1, Bridal, circa 1900-1990, undated
Subseries 8.2, Clothing of the World, circa 1900-1995, undated
Subseries 8.3, Designers, circa 1950-1980, undated
Subseries 8.4, Eras and Historic, circa 1890-1995, undated
Subseries 8.5, Military, circa 1940-1950, undated
Series 9, Historical Figures and Events, circa 1950-1998, undated
Subseries 9.1, African American, circa 1990-1995, undated
Subseries 9.2, Military, circa 1970-1990, undated
Subseries 9.3, Religion, circa 1984-1998, undated
Subseries 9.4, United States Presidents, circa 1970-1995, undated
Subseries 9.5, United States History, circa 1950-1990, undated
Subseries 9.6, Women, circa 1910-1995, undated
Subseries 9.7, World Leaders, circa 1980-1990, undated
Series 10, Holidays and Celebrations, circa 1930-1990, undated
Series 11, Occupations, circa 1900-1995, undated
Series 12, Periodicals, circa 1890-1995
Subseries 12.1, Characters, circa 1900-1995
Subseries 12.2, Periodicals, circa 1890-1995
Series 13, Miscellaneous Materials, circa 1890-1995, undated
Series 14, Publications, 1978-1993
Subseries 14.1, Articles, circa 1980-1990
Subseries 14.2, Books, 1978-1993
Biographical / Historical:
Donald Eugene Grepke (September 18, 1932- April 15, 2005) and Carolyn Joan Moyer Grepke (December 10, 1937- December 19, 1995) began collecting paper dolls in the 1970s in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Donald was born and raised in Fort Wayne where he attended Elmhurst High School, worked at a grocery store filling station, and graduated in 1951. In 1955, he began working at Zollner Corporation, manufacturers of pistons for cars and trucks, and retired on disability in 1989.
Carolyn Joan Moyer was born in Pennville, Indiana. Carolyn's family moved to Fort Wayne when she was four years old and after a few years they moved to Churubusco, Indiana. They returned to Fort Wayne where Carolyn attended North Side High School and graduated in 1956. Carolyn began working at Lincoln National Life Insurance Company after high school and continued to work there until she passed away.
Donald Grepke and Carolyn Moyer married at Trinity United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 2, 1957. One child, Randell Lee Grepke, was born to the union on May 5, 1958.
One of Carolyn's favorite toys as a child was paper dolls. One day while reading a publication about antiques, Donald saw an advertisement for an auction which included paper dolls in excellent condition. This began their paper doll collection. Over the next - 20-25 years, while on vacations and weekend drives, they would stop at antique shops, flea markets, and auctions in search of paper dolls. When Carolyn worked on weekends, Don would venture out by himself or with a male friend in search of paper dolls. Their collection grew to over 4,000 paper dolls.
After Carolyn passed in 1995, Don lost interest in collecting paper dolls. He pondered for about three years on what to do with the collection. He decided to donate the collection to the Smithsonian Institution in memory of his wife, where the materials would be available to the public for research and exhibition purposes.
Related Materials:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Helen Popenoe Paper Doll Collection (NMAH.AC.1156)
Elinor S. Miller Paper Doll Collection (NMAH.AC.1110)
Ming-Ju Sun Garfinckel's Fashion Drawings (NMAH.AC.0897)
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 9: Domestic and Community Life (NMAH.AC.0300)
Brownie Wise Papers (NMAH.AC.0509)
Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the World's Fair (NMAH.AC.0560)
Division of Cultural and Community Life, National Museum of American History
Division holds a collection of paper dolls.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, by Donald Grepke in memory of his wife Carolyn Grepke in December 2000.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Biographical material, consisting of a resume, a biographical account, and a hospital discharge summary; correspondence, including letters from Albert Christ-Janer, and Franz Kline; notes and writings, including an inventory price list; four loose drawings and 7 sketchbooks; exhibition announcements and catalogs; clippings; and autographed booklet of Joseph Stella's writings; and photographs of Price, his works of art, and miscellaneous phtographs.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; New York, Alabama, New Jersey; b. 1920; d. 1970; Worked on WPA projects as a young painter and met Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and became a protege of Joseph Stella.
Provenance:
The donor, Barbara Price, is the widow of Melville Price.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Painting, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Advertising materials relating to pharmaceutical and other supplies as part of the stock of retail pharmacies from 1920 to the early 1960s, mostly advertisements for cigars, cigarettes, Coca-Cola, Kodak, veterinary supplies, and patent medicines.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists primarily of advertising materials related to pharmaceutical and other supplies part of the stock of retail pharmacies during the period from the 1920s to the 1960s. Much of it was in the store when the Levitts purchased the Sherman Pharmacy.
The majority is advertisements for such items as cigars, cigarettes, Coca Cola, Kodak products, veterinary supplies, and patent medicines. There are a few photographs of local (Sherman) interest and a few booklets and pamphlets, including a high school yearbook.
The material is in excellent condition. It has been left in the boxes and folders in which it was received from the Division of Medical Sciences.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into two series.
Series 1: Organizational Files, 1922-1995
Subseries 1.1: Administration, 1923-1994
Subseries 1.2: Affiliates and Offices, 1922-1964
Series 2: Subject Files, 1851-1990
Biographical / Historical:
Alan Levitt, who owned and operated a pharmacy in Sherman (Chautauqua County), New York, and his wife Elaine, gave to the National Museum of American History a number of pharmaceutically related objects and a collection of archival graphic materials, primarily advertising in nature. The pharmacy from which the materials came was known as Sherman Pharmacy and was located at 105 West Main Street, Sherman, New York. It was opened by James Tuft on May 9, 1895. The Levitts' decision to sell and leave Sherman was made in 1983 after about ten years of operating the store. The correspondence with respect to making the gift to the Smithsonian indicates the move was related to a desire to be part of the Jewish culture in a larger community than Sherman, which has no synagogue, for example. The Levitts had one small child and a second was on the way. By early January 1986, the Levitts had sold the pharmacy and bought a house at 2551 East 26th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11235. Mr. Levitt was employed as a pharmacist in a state institution in Manhattan.
Provenance:
The materials were given by Alan and Elaine Levitt, September 1984.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Illustrated booklet containing reproductions of staged photographs from Charm Magazine, with statistics about working women's buying habits for shoes and stockings.
Collection is open for research but negatives in Box 62 are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
A booklet promoting Charm Magazine's "Shop Here" program. Tells how many articles of types of clothing a typical woman buys in a year.
Local Numbers:
AC0423-0000010a.tif (AC Scan)
AC0423-0000010b.tif (AC Scan)
AC0423-0000010c.tif (AC Scan)
AC0423-0000010d.tif (AC Scan)
AC0423-0000010e.tif (AC Scan)
AC0423-0000010f.tif (AC Scan)
AC0423-0000010g.tif (AC Scan)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but negatives in Box 62 are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
New York (N.Y.). Department of Cultural Affairs Search this
Extent:
10.1 Linear feet
0.947 Gigabytes (ER01-ER04)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Date:
circa 1900-1998
bulk 1970-1996
Summary:
The papers of Puerto Rican arts administrator and artist Luis Cancel measure 10.1 linear feet and .947 gigabytes and date from circa 1900 to 1998 with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 1996. The collection is comprised of biographical material, professional files, arts administration records documenting his directorship at the Bronx Museum of the Arts and as Commissioner for the Department of Cultural Affairs in New York, subject and artist's files, files for the exhibition Legacy / Legado, printed materials, word processing documents, digital photographs, and unidentified sound recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Puerto Rican arts administrator and artist Luis Cancel measure 10.1 linear feet and .947 gigabytes and date from circa 1900 to 1998 with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 1996. The collection is comprised of biographical material, professional files, arts administration records documenting his directorship at the Bronx Museum of the Arts and as Commissioner for the Department of Cultural Affairs in New York, subject and artist's files, files for the exhibition Legacy / Legado, printed materials, word processing documents, digital photographs, and unidentified sound recordings.
Biographical material contains two appointment books, awards, certificates, diplomas, a pin, real estate documents, resumes, a watercolor, and Cancel's writings. Files for committees, councils, consulting work, academic work, exhibitions, lectures, and various projects as well as a video recording are among Cancel's professional files. Arts administration records consist of files for the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Department of Cultural Affairs. Subject files include printed material, two video recordings, and a small amount of other material on topics of interest to Cancel. Files on artists contain printed material, photographs, resumes, cross reference notes, and other material.
The Legacy / Legado exhibition files include announcements, invitations, budgets, artist's files, administrative records, and photographic materials. Printed material consists of business cards, booklets, brochures, flyers, invitations, newsletters, magazines, and clippings. Photographic materials are of Cancel with colleagues, family, travel, and works of art. Two unidentified sound recordings are in the last series.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1970-1994 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, OV 12)
Series 2: Professional Files, 1973-1998 (3.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-5)
Series 3: Arts Administration Records, 1972-1997 (4.1 linear feet; Boxes 5-8, OV 12, 14)
Series 4: Subject Files, 1973-1996 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 8-9)
Series 5: Artist Files, 1952-1991 (0.5 linear feet; Box 9, 11, OV 12)
Series 6: -- Legacy / Legado -- Exhibition Files, 1985-1996 (0.8 linear feet; Box 9-11)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1976-1992 (0.2 linear feet; Box 10, OV 13)
Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1900-circa 1990 (0.3 linear feet; Box 10-11)
Series 9: Unidentified Sound Recordings, circa 1980s (1 folder; Box 11)
Biographical / Historical:
Luis Cancel (1952-) is a Puerto Rican arts administrator and artist from New York City, N.Y.
Cancel attended Fiorello H. La Guardia High School for Music and Art before earning his bachelor of arts degree in painting and printmaking from Pratt Institute. During his last year at Pratt, he studied in Puerto Rico at the University of Puerto Rico. Cancel continued his research on Puerto Rico through a fellowship with the American Friends Service Committee Reciprocal Youth Project in Puerto Rico. Cancel's research resulted in a multifaceted presentation titled Puerto Rico: Its People and Its Artists. He continued his education receiving master of arts degrees from New York University in arts administration and from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in public administration. Cancel also attended classes on educational software design and CD-ROM production at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
After finishing his studies, Cancel became gallery director at the Cayman Gallery in New York from 1975 to 1977. In 1978, he became the executive director of the Bronx Museum of the Arts. In his 13 years at the Bronx Museum, Cancel organized numerous exhibitions including The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States 1920-1970, Devastation/Resurrection: The South Bronx, and Krishna Reddy: A Retrospective. He was also granted a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to travel throughout Latin America to research art and build relationships with significant museums and galleries. Cancel left the Bronx Museum in 1991 to begin his tenure as Commissioner of New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs where he worked with Mayor David Dinkins to enhance support for the city's arts.
In the 2000s, Cancel was also the executive director of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, the Director of Cultural Affairs in San Francisco, was appointed by United States Representative Nancy Pelosi to the National Museum of the American Latino Commission, and established a cultural consulting company. He is currently the CEO at the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.
Provenance:
The papers were donated by Luis Cancel in 2000.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art museum directors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
