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Object Timeline

1952

  • We acquired this object.

2003

2004

2014

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2024

  • You found it!

Paper Doll, Jenny Lind Paper Doll and Ten Costumes Designed for Her Operatic Roles

This is a Paper doll. It is dated ca. 1850 and we acquired it in 1952. Its medium is lithograph on heavy white wove paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Jenny Lind, often known as the “Swedish Nightingale,” was an enormously popular soprano opera singer. After establishing her career in Europe, Lind began an extensive American concert tour in 1850, which could explain the timing of the creation of this paper doll set. Each costume in this example corresponds to one of Lind’s operatic roles, allowing children to imagine the drama of her performance as they engaged in play.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Paper to Plastic: How Technology is Transforming Doll Design.

This object was donated by Mrs. Frederick Rosengarten. It is credited Gift of Mrs. Frederick Rosengarten.

Its dimensions are

largest example from group: 7.9 cm (3 1/8 in.) H: 10.1 x W: 3.5 cm

Cite this object as

Paper Doll, Jenny Lind Paper Doll and Ten Costumes Designed for Her Operatic Roles; lithograph on heavy white wove paper; largest example from group: 7.9 cm (3 1/8 in.) H: 10.1 x W: 3.5 cm; Gift of Mrs. Frederick Rosengarten; 1952-8-1-a

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Faster, Cheaper, Newer, More: The Revolutions of 1848.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18392585/ |title=Paper Doll, Jenny Lind Paper Doll and Ten Costumes Designed for Her Operatic Roles |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>