Doll Collectors of America (DCA), Inc. records
Collection Scope and Content Note
The Doll Collectors of America (DCA), Inc. records are a compilation of organizational records, reference files, scrapbooks, and ephemera from members. Organizational materials include membership applications, meeting minutes, programs, treasurer reports and financial documents, correspondence, publications, and other information on the history of the DCA. Reference files were compiled and maintained by DCA members. Scrapbooks, photographs, and ephemera were created by members of the DCA and donated to the organization. (Library materials, such as books and published pamphlets, have been transferred to the library stacks at The Strong.) The bulk of the materials are dated between 1935 and 1999.
The Doll Collectors of America (DCA), Inc. records are arranged into six series, one of which has been further divided into subseries. The materials are housed in 18 archival document boxes, 2 index card boxes, and 5 large flat storage boxes.
Dates
- Creation: 1856 - 2018
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1935 - 1996
Creator
- Doll Collectors of America, Inc. (Organization)
Language
This collection is primarily in English, with some instances of German and French.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and by users of its library and archives. Though the donors have not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, they have given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.
Historical Note
The Doll Collectors of America, Inc. is an organization established in Boston, Massachusetts in November 1935 with the purpose of promoting the study of dolls, sharing information about the origin and history of dolls, and encouraging the collection and preservation of dolls. Founding members included Amy Louise Wood, Gertrude R. Husk, Hattie Elliott Johnson, Eleanor Hudson, Grace F. Garland, Blanche E. Eaton, Mary Bradford Stevens, Jessie M. Ramsbottom, and Jennie L. Abbott. The first DCA exhibit was held at the Winchester Public Library in Winchester, Massachusetts in May 1938. Since its inception, membership to the DCA requires an application, sponsor letters, and keen interest in collecting, studying, and preserving antique dolls.
The DCA holds monthly executive board and general membership meetings, which are often supplemented with guest speakers or programs. The organization publishes The Doll Collectors of America, Inc. Bulletin six times per year. The Annual Meeting is typically held over a weekend in early November and includes an annual auction, a banquet, doll sales, exhibitions, discussions, a business meeting, and much more. (Over time, the DCA archives and reference library materials have been housed at the Toy Cupboard Museum and the Wenham Museum before settling at The Strong.) The DCA remains the oldest doll collectors’ club in the United States with active members all around the country.
Extent
17 Linear Feet (18 archival document boxes, 2 index card boxes, and 5 large flat storage boxes)
Abstract
The Doll Collectors of America (DCA), Inc. records are a compilation of organizational records, reference materials, scrapbooks, and ephemera from members of the DCA. The bulk of the materials are dated between 1935 and 1996.
System of Arrangement
Series I: Organization history, 1935-2010
Series II: Membership applications and records, 1935-2005 and n.d.
Series III: Meeting minutes and reports, 1935-2016
Series IV: Financial papers, 1946-2009
Series V: Programs and publications, 1936-2007 and n.d.
Series VI: Reference files, 1856-2010 and n.d.
Subseries A: Clippings and text
Subseries B: Ephemera
Subseries C: Scrapbooks and photographs
Custodial History
The Doll Collectors of America (DCA), Inc. records were donated to The Strong in December 2022 as a gift of The Doll Collectors of America, Inc. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under Object ID 122.6855 and were received from the Doll Collectors of America (DCA) in 10 boxes previously housed at the Wenham Museum.
Processed by
Julia Novakovic, May-July 2023
Subject
- Abbott, Jennie L. (Person)
- Andrews, Alice (Person)
- Beachy, Anna O. (Person)
- Coleman, Elizabeth Ann, 1941- (Person)
- Dickinson, Velvalee (Person)
- Donoghue, Elizabeth (Person)
- Hosmer, Herbert H. (Person)
- Merrill, Madeline O. (Person)
- Popp, Maurine (Person)
- Ravca, Bernard (Person)
- Wood, Amy Louise (Person)
- Doll Collectors of America, Inc. (Organization)
- Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum (Organization)
- Toy Cupboard Museum (Organization)
- Wenham Museum (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Doll Collectors of America (DCA), Inc. Records, 1856-2018
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Julia Novakovic
- Date
- 11 July 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong Repository
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
Rochester NY 14607 USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)
library@museumofplay.org