Doll: M’lady, the Margaret Hartshorn Collection of Early Dolls 2009

M’lady, the Margaret Hartshorn Collection of Early Dolls
by Florence Theriault
Annapolis, MD: Gold Horse Publishing
2009. 136 p.

Margaret Hartshorn spent 49 years putting together her collection that focused primarily on early molded-hair lady dolls of the 19th century. Her collection contained many dolls that were “rare, early, and unexpected,” a description that also applied to the dolls that she sold at shows. She also put together a collection of miniature paintings depicting ladies with 19th century hairdos and costumes. The doll collection included a wide range of materials featuring fine rare wooden, papier mâché, parian and porcelain dolls of the early 19th century. There are 156 dolls and six miniature paintings described and illustrated with 350 full-color photographs.