By Joy Davenport

In Pioneer America, vintage paper dolls have been a very important treasure since paper was limited. Picture your self as child living in a small cabin with very little to play with. You're given a paper doll, maybe two. You are aware how valuable they are and wish to treasure all of them, so you find a special book and put them between pages or inside a special box that you guard always for protection of your cherished paper-doll.

The paper-doll provides a really broad look at the cultures from all across the globe. They symbolize a lot of costumes, clothing, accessories and many other things of value for historians. The obvious were the vintage paper dolls representing royalty and for the children of royalty.

Paper dolls very first appeared in the 18th Century in Paris, during the rule of Louis XV. This is also when toys very first came out in this French Society. On the other part of the English Channel, proper British printers produced the paper dolls. They'd blend fun as well as virtue by printing stories along with morals and values, on flat pieces of paper, and that made up the dolls. Classic paper doll were then created as a magnificently lithographed full-color collection. They symbolized not only the famous theater personalities but of the Royal family members, which included the House of Windsor and the German Royal Family. It was from that period the paper doll has been invented.

In 1866, an artist named Raphael Tuck, was perhaps the best known manufacturer of the paper doll. In December of 1940, Tuck's German Manufacturing facilities were demolished by a bombing, and with it destroyed all of records, plates and documents. However his dolls were very easily identified by the trademark and series name and number which was on back of each piece. The trademark style of this company was the set of vintage paper doll costumes and interchangeable heads. He also made some "regular" dolls which includes Sweet Abigail, Winsome Winnie, My Lady Betty, Prince Charming, the wonderful Fairy Tale series and more. He carried on to make the antique paper doll collections well to the twentieth century.

During the beginning, having paper dolls was a privilege and just the kids of the Royalty could actually have them. There were dolls representing actors from the theater, stage, opera as well as television. The time when the vintage paper dolls were the most popular had been throughout the 1930's to the 1950's. This could be called the "Golden Age of Paper Dolls." Paper toys were probably the most affordable toys to possess during the depression even though it was of a lesser quality of paper, because of the WWII.

Collecting antique dolls is exciting and can be done very inexpensively. There are sufficient types to satisfy every collector. Venture back again in your memories of sitting down with your paper dolls, playing with your friends. Now you will be able to relive those memories with your vintage paper dolls collection.