Paper Dolls & Family History: How American Girl Magazine Made the Past Personal
How American Girl’s Paper Dolls Gave Every Girl a Place in History (including a special interview with an artist who helped create the genius American Girl paper dolls!)
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Note: This week, all my paid subscribers are getting a special zine with instructions on how to make an updated American Girl-style paper doll collection.
This past weekend I was fortunate to travel to the Minnesota Historical Society where I gave a talk on American Girl and our book, Dolls of Our Lives: Why We Can’t Quit American Girl. One of the reasons I so loved American Girl was not only the books (obviously), but the American Girl Magazine. Each issue featured a real girl on the cover and sections in which girls like me wrote in to offer advice (Heart to Heart), give advice (again, Heart to Heart), or share some of their experiences in features that ranged from Mormon girls recreating the pioneer trail to an aspiring dog trainer, and beyond. As a future Martha Stewart devotee and crafter, I also loved the crafts I could learn to make from the magazine, along with the (for me) aspirational party planning ideas. The one part of the magazine I wish I could be a part of myself was the paper dolls section.
Looking back, the paper dolls were quietly radical. Each issue of the magazine, founded in 1992, featured a set of paper dolls based on the matrilineal line of a girl’s family. Readers could sign themselves up to be featured. The instructions asked them to submit family photos of women in their family, from their mom, grandmother, and so on stretching back decades. Then, an artist would use the photographs or work with Pleasant Company’s research team to recreate historic outfits these women would have worn. They’d be printed and presented as outfits the central girl’s paper doll could wear. Taken together, readers could imagine a girl their age trying on the clothes (and histories) of the women in their family across generations. Text on the back of each outfit would teach them about that period in time and what their lives might have been like.
In just one feature of the magazine, girls could get the “American Girl” treatment and become a means of individual storytelling about the past. The history of genealogy rarely centers the lives of women. American Girl reoriented those expectations to focus on girls and the women who preceded them. This also bolstered Pleasant’s own wish that girls share their American Girl dolls and books with mothers and grandmothers, creating a bond that would link girls across generations to women in their lives. She also did so using a format that was cheaper for many than buying a full-sized American Girl doll.
I loved all the dolls, and am grateful to the heroes who digitized them years after the magazine ceased to exist in January 2019 (truly RIP). You can find the full list of paper dolls here and scans here.
I am struck (as we discuss in the book) by the first “doll,” Courtney Price. Her story demonstrates the power of researchers providing historically appropriate clothing for ancestors whose lives were not recorded in traditional archives.
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Those clothes alongside Courtney’s own figure skating costume is simply incredible.
Also, shout out to Kelly Jones, whose family history/paper dolls dated back to 1103. I remember not being able to conceive of tracing your personal history that far back and my mind is still blown. That the description of the outfit standing in for the ancestor in question focuses on the double girdle demonstrates once again that this magazine truly knew how to reach me!
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Interview with artist Susan McAliley
I wanted to learn more about the paper doll production process. Thankfully, I was able to track down artist Susan McAliley who worked on the dolls for the magazine, and several books for American Girl. I’m honored she graciously answered some of my burning questions:
MM: What got you interested in a career as an artist?
SM: I had a natural talent for art since childhood. In high school, my art teacher suggested I try Commercial Art as a career and there was an Associate Degree program at a technical college close by to get me started. During school, a local Freelance Artist gave a presentation to our class. At that time I thought that type of work would be a perfect goal if I could achieve it. And who wouldn’t want to have a career doing something they enjoyed and were good at?
MM: Did you ever play with paper dolls growing up?
SM: Mine were more of the dolls with pre-cut plastic, stick-on-a board clothing. I may have played with some paper cut-outs from magazines too but they didn’t last as long or weren’t cut out with my childhood scissors so well. Ha.
MM: How did you first learn about Pleasant Company, or American Girl?
SM: They were a local company looking for a freelance artist. An associate from a previous job who was working for them told me. I’ve always felt it was “destiny” as I was in the right place at the right time. I interviewed for the job and was given a test to draw the perfect heart in line art, and was told it was perfect!
MM: When did you start working there, and in what capacity? nn
SM: In 1989 as a freelance artist doing production art. I was impressed by and able to see firsthand the quality of illustration work they were using for the books, etc. My “dream” was to be a freelance illustrator for books so as I was working in the production art area an opportunity to be an illustrator for the magazine paper dolls opened up. I did some sample artwork on my own time and I was accepted for drawing the paper dolls for American Girl Magazine. Shortly after that, since they were happy with my work, I was first in line to do the main character paper dolls from that point forward, and I also illustrated spot illustrations for many books. They kept me busy for quite a while!
MM: What was it like to work at American Girl?
SM: Great! I loved the Art Department, working with gifted Art Directors, and seeing how the books and all of the products were designed and produced. Walking into the huge building and seeing all of the doll displays gave me a sense of pride. I also had a background in publishing and production that came in handy. However, all of the illustration work for the paper dolls was done in my home studio.
MM: Did you ever work with Pleasant Rowland?
SM: Indirectly, except for one meeting in which I proposed a newspaper design. I was slightly intimidated and shaking in my boots at the time. Ha. She is an intelligent and gifted woman who knows what she likes and has a good sense of direction. She also had respect and admiration of art and artists, and that is why illustration was so prominent in the company’s products.
MM: What was the origin of the paper doll project in American Girl Magazine?
SM: Pleasant was an educator, and her goal was to teach young girls about history while they played with the dolls at the same time. She started Pleasant Company because the only dolls she could find to give to her nieces were the rather disappointing cabbage patch dolls. My understanding is that paper dolls were created as a more affordable way for girls could play with historic dolls for education purposes. They had stories to tell, and who didn’t like paper dolls as a child? I think Pleasant had enjoyed these as a child herself.
MM: Can you tell me about the process of developing a paper doll for a real American Girl to be featured in the magazine?
SM: Girls were encouraged to submit themselves & family history for consideration, and were chosen for each issue based on what they knew about their family history and also the variety of nationality, and in some cases to fit holidays or themes. The girls would send in any photos of themselves, outfits, and their ancestors for reference. If needed, researchers found clothing examples for each time period as references to use for illustrating. They would give me detailed instructions as to colors, any items they might be holding, etc.
MM: What was your design process like to draw on a girl’s matrilineal family history?
SM: From the references provided to me, I would first do a pencil sketch of the girl for the doll, doing my best to make an accurate likeness, and then for each period outfit it was drawn on a slightly transparent paper so as to fit the underlying doll figure. All items would have to fit on each page so I was limited in how wide, how far out the arms extended, etc., and also keep simple enough outlines that they could be perforated with a die-cutting machine at the printing company for the girls to punch them out of the page instead of cutting them out themselves due to the hard stock they were printed on. The “tabs” that attached the outfits had to work to hold the clothing on the underlying doll. I submitted the pencil drawings to the Art Directors for an approval process and any revisions were sent back to me before going to the final full-color drawings that were done on a hotpress watercolor paper, mainly with watercolors and colored pencil.
MM: Some of the girls, like the first girl Courtney Price, had women in their family history for whom they had no photographs or archival prompts in terms of clothing or appearance. I always loved the care that went into presenting historically accurate types of clothing these ancestors may have worn. Can you talk about how that process worked for you and others at the magazine?
SM: Praise should be given to the research team. I was provided the photos whether they be black and white photos, historical paintings, or illustrations from books as references for the drawings. It was my job to bring them all into full color and realism. What the girls wore, held, etc. was decided by people on the team.
MM: Do you have any fun stories of interactions you’ve had with readers regarding the paper dolls?
SM: I would usually receive any communications through the Art directors. However, one of my favorite “experiences” was being invited to a real powwow with others from AGC who worked on the project in which they unveiled the Kaya character books, with which the Nez Perce tribe worked closely with AGC for historical accuracy. I was very honored to illustrate the Kaya paper doll.
MM: What were some of your favorite paper dolls to design or work on?
SM: Gosh, that’s a hard one. It has been a while since doing this work. I would say I loved doing all of the magazine dolls equally because there was such a variety of clothing styles and the items they were holding. The pets and animals were fun. I also learned more about history and the different nationalities’ clothing styles. The main character dolls that were my favorites to do were Josefina, Kit, and Kaya. These were done with a different illustration process of airbrush, colored pencil, and gouache on an illustration board. I still have all of the original artwork that I worked on.
MM: What do you imagine makes the paper dolls so special to fans?
SM: Perhaps from happy childhood memories and appreciation for learning. They were accessible to children of all types, representing all of humanity, and fun to play with. The choice and changing of the clothing at the whim of the child playing with them. Using their imaginations as to what the characters would be feeling and talking about.
Make your own paper doll!
Want to make your own paper doll? Paid members are getting a zine with instructions for a modern-day version of the doll that also doesn’t center a one-size-fits-all body. Instead, we focus on the history of clothing and the stories it can tell.
Call Me! (or not!)
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Thanks for reading!
This is a free post for subscribers of Landline. Consider subscribing to the paid plan to get my weekly email of recommendations and links, a podcast episode, and more! You can also help me spread the word by sharing it with a friend who would love it. Thank you for being a friend!
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