Made to Play House: Dolls and the Commercialization of American Girlhood, 1830-1930 [Paperback]

Miriam Formanek-Brunell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 1998

In Made to Play House, Miriam Formanek-Brunell traces the history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century dolls and explores the origins of the American toy industry's remarkably successful efforts to promote self fulfillment through maternity and materialism. She tells the fascinating story of how inventors, producers, entrepreneurs—many of whom were women—and little girls themselves created dolls which expressed various notions of female identity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Provides a fresh perspective on the construction of gender in America..a pioneering book of interest to collectors, historians of women and of consumer culture, and anyone who has a child who plays with dolls.

(Molly Ladd-Taylor Journal of American History )

Formanek-Brunell effectively challenges the popular assumption that dolls are representation of patriarchal culture and that girls are passive consumers of that culture.

(Lisa A. Marovich Technology and Culture )

Much of the value of Made to Play House is its deft weaving of business history, cultural history, and material culture studies into a coherent, largely convincing, narrative... The vivid portraits of the female entrepreneurs with an agenda for childhood are the book's most significant contribution to the literature of history and business.

(Mary Lynn Stevens Heininger Business History Review )

This superb interdisciplinary history deploys mechanical patents and material culture to chart the development of a gendered American doll industry.

(Eileen Boris Nation )

The book makes a solid contribution to the literature on childhood as well as business history and... illustrates the use that can be made of material culture in historical research.

(Sylvia Hoffert American Historical Review )

Review

"Provides a fresh perspective on the construction of gender in America..a pioneering book of interest to collectors, historians of women and of consumer culture, and anyone who has a child who plays with dolls." -- Molly Ladd-Taylor, Journal of American History

"Formanek-Brunell effectively challenges the popular assumption that dolls are representation of patriarchal culture and that girls are passive consumers of that culture." -- Lisa A. Marovich, Technology and Culture

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801860628
• ISBN-13: 978-0801860621
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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