History of Paper Dolls

Paper doll is a two-dimensional doll made out of paper or light card and cut out. It can have separate clothes made also from paper and holding onto a doll with tabs. They can be in shape of a person, animal or an object.

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Before they were made in the shape that we know them today there were some or other forms of paper dolls since there was paper. Asian cultures used paper images in ritual and Japan had art of Origami since 9th century. Paper and leather puppets were known on Bali since before Christianity. Main difference between these kinds of paper dolls and modern ones is that clothes were not made for them. First paper dolls in Europe were made in France in 18th century. They were made of jointed paper and were called “pantins”. They were made in human form and had assorted clothes in accordance with the fashion of the time. They were hand painted and some of them can still be found in museums today.