Tell them YOU LOVE THEM

Don't ever miss the chance to tell someone you love them. Time disappears like a whisper. It all passes too soon.

This vintage Valentine, mounted on black paper, is one from a series I purchased years ago that were part of a salesman's sample.

To see more Valentines click on the label "valentine" or "valentines" below.

M. EMMA MUSSELMAN paper doll in 1920

“Here are the twins, Margery May’s little sisters”

These little dolls are from the November 1920 Women’s Home Companion magazine. The illustrator was M. Emma Musselman. The first one is named Gladys, the second Madeline. Click here to see the complete page from the magazine.



Click on either image to see it larger.

I can find little biographical information about Musselman other than she was born in 1880 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and she lived in Philadelphia. She was considered one of the top fashion illustrators in the first few decades of the 20th century.

The image below is from book two of Mary Young's Paper Dolls and Their Artists, copyright 1977.

Look around enough online and you’ll find many stunning dolls and fashion illustrations done by Musselman. Now, it’s only my opinion, but I think she illustrated some of the most beautiful paper dolls ever created. I do wonder whatever became of her original art. I imagine it’s long gone. Heartbreaking.

Click here to see another illustration done my Musselman for the May 1913 Women’s Home Companion. Click the links below to see more paper dolls:

The Companion Paper Doll: Introducing Margery May

Margery May's French Chum, Marie Louise, 1920

Margery May's Big Sister, 1920

Tom, Margery May's Brother

Margery May's Japanese Friend, Tamaki, 1920

To see some vintage snapshots of little girls with their dolls visit my other site Tattered and Lost Photographs.

UPDATE: Reader Jan Hall has provided the following about M. Emma Musselman. Thanks Jan!

Mary Emma Musselman was the daughter of Benjamin Musselman and Anna Jane Herr. I have not found a death date for her. She was born 26th Jan 1880 in Lancaster PA. Her father was a clerk in an insurance office, and her only surviving brother was Benjamin Ovid Musselman, a reporter who was paralyzed early in life but continued his work from his home until his death in 1938. In the 1910 census, Mary Emma is living in Philadelphia on 10th st. with her widowed mother, and it's the first time she has "artist" noted as her occupation.There is no close connection to the Musselman apple family over in Adams county.The Musselman apple company was not in Lancaster co, was in Adams county.

Dennison INDIAN PAPER DOLL from 1905

This vintage paper doll was produced by the Dennison Manufacturing Company around 1905 and would have cost 15 cents when new.

The Dennison Manufacturing Company, which was located in Framingham, Massachusetts, was founded in 1844 as a jewelry and watch box-manufacturing company by Aaron Lufkin Dennison, who later became the pioneer of the American System of Watch Manufacturing. Five years later Aaron turned the Dennison Manufacturing Company over to his younger brother, Eliphalet Whorf Dennison, who took over and developed the company into a sizable industrial enterprise. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

In the 1870s Dennison produced colored tissue paper. Around 1890 they introduced crepe paper. In the late 1800s they introduced their jointed paper dolls. This Indian doll is badly damaged (missing rattle, portion of pipe, and obviously his legs) but still worth the few dollars I paid for him.

The crepe paper outfit was handmade and came with the doll when I purchased it.

Look through the posts from this previous week to see more antique paper dolls. And to see some real dolls with their dolls visit Tattered and Lost Photographs.

CARNIVAL paper dolls by Saalfield in 1944

If you have been following my other blog, Tattered and Lost Photographs, this week you'll know I've been featuring photos of little girls with dolls. Meanwhile, at this site I've been featuring paper dolls.

Today I'm featuring a doll created by Jean Morse for Saalfield, Carnival, published in 1944.

The cover features die-cut windows showing two of the dolls heads riding in the carriage.

Inside, first page, the two complete dolls.

There are many more costumes than what I feature here.

If you take a look at Tattered and Lost Photographs you'll see paper dolls being held by two little girls. I know one of them is Patty and Sue also published by Saalfield in 1944. Do you think it was also illustrated by Jean Morse? Any information would be helpful.

And I've mentioned this before, but I think with this doll set it could be mentioned again. Why were male dolls always so effeminate? Was it because parents or the manufacturers simply didn't want little girls dressing and undressing "masculine" looking dolls? Was it that the artists couldn't draw masculine images? Somehow I doubt it. And considering how homophobic this country is, were these dolls ever a problem for the manufacturers? Just something I've wondered about since I started collecting paper dolls. As a child I never noticed it.

HILDA MILOCHE and WILMA KANE paper dolls

A vintage Hilda Miloche and Wilma Kane paper doll, Mother Goose Land With Judy and Jim, published by Simon and Schuster in 1949. Miloche and Kane worked together on many beautiful paper dolls, unfortunately I can find very little about either illustrator. If anyone has some definitive biographical information or where I can find it let me know.

These came in the huge box of paper dolls I bought on eBay several years ago. I featured another doll yesterday from the same box.

Click on either image to see it large.

To see a little girl with a doll in a carriage visit my other site Tattered and Lost Photographs.