02/05/2026
✨ Doll Museum Spotlight on an American Icon ✨
American Icons will be featured this year in recognition of dollmaking in the United States, beginning with the first patent issued to one of the many German doll makers who emigrated to the United States during the 19th century. Ludwig Greiner arrived in Philadelphia in the 1830s and in 1858 received the first American patent, extended in 1872, for a doll head.
Greiner’s patent called for cloth to reinforce a papier-mache formula of one pound of white paper (cooked and beaten), one pound of Spanish whiting and rye flour, and an ounce of glue. The heads were cast in molds, as porcelain had been in earlier German dollmaking, then cleaned, painted with oil paint and finished with varnish.
Greiner dolls range from 13 to 36 inches and are characterized by blue or very dark indigo eyes, generally with black hair, although our museum also displays a blond Greiner. A variety of popular hairstyles can be found among those dolls still in existence. The cloth bodies could have been homemade, although many were made by Jacob Lacmann, who had a business relationship with Ludwig Greiner.
Visitors can explore Greiner’s work and many other American dollmaking innovations in person. Opening next Wednesday, Feb. 11th, we welcome you to stop in and experience these remarkable pieces of history up close!
Doll Museum & Shop at the Old Rectory Hours (beginning Feb. 11th):
Wednesday through Friday, 1-4 pm
Saturday, 10 am–2 pm
