INTRODUCTION TO DOLLS AND STORIES
Introduction | Nursery Rhyme Dolls | FairyTale Dolls | Comic Strip Dolls | Children's Story Books | Bibliography
This picture, called The Storytelling Doll, best describes the magical connection between stories, books, dolls and toys, reading and imagination.
The Storytelling Doll - A Story of Creativity
A Storyteller is a clay figurine made by the Pueblo people of New Mexico. The first contemporary storyteller was made by Helen Cordero of the Cochiti Pueblo in 1964 in honor of her grandfather, who was a tribal storyteller.[1] It is basically a figure of a storyteller, usually a man or a woman and its mouth is always open. It is surrounded by figures of children and other things, who represent those who are listening to the storyteller. The motif is based on the traditional "singing mother" motif which depicts a woman with her mouth open holding one or two children.[1] (Wikipedia) The above link paints a brilliant picture of the importance of storytelling in learning and creativity.
The first thing that struck me during my research was that I could find virtually nothing about stories and dolls made before the early 1900s. Education for children prior to the 20th century was very much centered around basic literacy and moral education in all classes of people and basic occupational skills for the lower economic classes. I am sure deeper research might bring up examples I have not found.
This quote seems to summarize the underlying beliefs about childhood education in the European and American cultures:
“It is a fundamental error in Christians to consider children as innocent beings, rather than beings who bring into the world a corrupt nature and evil disposition which it should be the great aim of education to rectify.” (Hannah More, Strictures, Vol. 5, p. 44, 1808)
Life was often grim for children. Those born into wealthy families were often contracted out to wet nurses and then governesses, often seeing their parents only occasionally. Poor children were often abused and used in factories, as chimney sweeps and as beggars in the street. In England and other European countries, schooling was serious stuff with little variation from rote learning. Although there were horn books made of gingerbread. When children learned to recognize a letter, they got to eat it! 😃
Life was different for American children. Because of smaller houses and other factors, children were much closer to their families, physically and, most likely emotionally. Poor children still had rough lives until child labor laws came into being.
Increasing economic stability meant that more time and money could be spent on entertainment, including dolls and toys. Changes in the philosophy of childhood also led to changes in education. The ancient art if storytelling flourished through books,theater, comic strips, radio and ultimately movies, television and now the internet.
History of creativity
"In mid 20th century America, there was intense interest in using institutions to support the innate creativity of children. It helped reshape children's play, the design of suburban homes, schools, parks, and museums. Producers of children's television programming worked to spark creativity. Educational toys designed to teach skills or develop abilities proliferated. For schools there was a new emphasis on arts as well as science in the curriculum.[36] The emphasis was reversed in the 1980s, as public policy emphasized test scores, and school principals downplayed anything that was not being scored on standardized tests.[37]
For all these reasons, the dolls in this presentation will be ones created mostly from 1920-1970. The trend continues today of course with American Girls and other modern character stories such as Peppa Pig.
(Kevill-Davis)
In any case, the combination of stories, fun characters and bright colors engage the human imagination from babyhood and beyond.
A Storyteller is a clay figurine made by the Pueblo people of New Mexico. The first contemporary storyteller was made by Helen Cordero of the Cochiti Pueblo in 1964 in honor of her grandfather, who was a tribal storyteller.[1] It is basically a figure of a storyteller, usually a man or a woman and its mouth is always open. It is surrounded by figures of children and other things, who represent those who are listening to the storyteller. The motif is based on the traditional "singing mother" motif which depicts a woman with her mouth open holding one or two children.[1] (Wikipedia) The above link paints a brilliant picture of the importance of storytelling in learning and creativity.
The first thing that struck me during my research was that I could find virtually nothing about stories and dolls made before the early 1900s. Education for children prior to the 20th century was very much centered around basic literacy and moral education in all classes of people and basic occupational skills for the lower economic classes. I am sure deeper research might bring up examples I have not found.
This quote seems to summarize the underlying beliefs about childhood education in the European and American cultures:
“It is a fundamental error in Christians to consider children as innocent beings, rather than beings who bring into the world a corrupt nature and evil disposition which it should be the great aim of education to rectify.” (Hannah More, Strictures, Vol. 5, p. 44, 1808)
Life was often grim for children. Those born into wealthy families were often contracted out to wet nurses and then governesses, often seeing their parents only occasionally. Poor children were often abused and used in factories, as chimney sweeps and as beggars in the street. In England and other European countries, schooling was serious stuff with little variation from rote learning. Although there were horn books made of gingerbread. When children learned to recognize a letter, they got to eat it! 😃
Life was different for American children. Because of smaller houses and other factors, children were much closer to their families, physically and, most likely emotionally. Poor children still had rough lives until child labor laws came into being.
Increasing economic stability meant that more time and money could be spent on entertainment, including dolls and toys. Changes in the philosophy of childhood also led to changes in education. The ancient art if storytelling flourished through books,theater, comic strips, radio and ultimately movies, television and now the internet.
History of creativity
"In mid 20th century America, there was intense interest in using institutions to support the innate creativity of children. It helped reshape children's play, the design of suburban homes, schools, parks, and museums. Producers of children's television programming worked to spark creativity. Educational toys designed to teach skills or develop abilities proliferated. For schools there was a new emphasis on arts as well as science in the curriculum.[36] The emphasis was reversed in the 1980s, as public policy emphasized test scores, and school principals downplayed anything that was not being scored on standardized tests.[37]
For all these reasons, the dolls in this presentation will be ones created mostly from 1920-1970. The trend continues today of course with American Girls and other modern character stories such as Peppa Pig.
(Kevill-Davis)
In any case, the combination of stories, fun characters and bright colors engage the human imagination from babyhood and beyond.