Special Exhibit at the Doll Museum

“Dolls have often been used as souvenirs of foreign travel, from the days of the Grand Tour through the capitals of Europe and the great trade fairs of the 19th century into the burgeoning market for middle-class tourism of the first half of the 20th century…These dolls now showcase a history of the world costume which has largely faded out of use in daily life in the era of blue jeans and tee shirts”, Antique Doll Collector magazine writes. Dolls in costume, created by artisans and craftsmen of each region, reflect the values and pride of the people in their unique clothing, lifestyle and culture. Today, international connection has largely homogenized our fashion styles, and perhaps few would adhere to the idea of a national dress or style. This year when visiting the Doll Museum at the Old Rectory, guests will enjoy travelling around the globe with Miss Helen Schoedinger, as her collection of souvenir travel dolls is on exhibit. Born in 1892, Miss Helen Schoedinger was raised in Columbus, Ohio by her parents George and Anna Schoedinger. She was the youngest of the four children. Eldest sister Emma was sixteen years older than Helen, Ferdinand, eleven years older and George, 8 years her senior. She attended both East and Central High Schools in Columbus before attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

As early as age ten, young Helen was traveling internationally with her family; records show that she returned from Europe in 1903 on the Potsdam, traveling from Rotterdam to New York with her parents and sister Emma. After the death of her father in 1916, Helen continued to travel internationally through the 1920s and 30s with her mother, sometimes with Emma, and occasionally alone. Ship records show trips in and out of ports including Yokohama, Seattle, Cherbourg, New York, Naples, Hamburg, Glasgow, and Bermuda. In the 1950s, Helen is listed on Pan Am Airways records, flying to Paris in 1951 and home from London in 1954. Her nephews eventually joined her on travels as well, recalling having shipped their family station wagon across the Atlantic for their European travels.

As the Schoedingers traveled the world, Miss Helen collected souvenir dolls from the many countries she visited. Generally, she collected a male and female doll from each region she visited, in traditional dress created by the craftspeople in the area. The dolls represent over 50 countries or regions around the world, from Belgium to Burma, Iceland to Israel, and beyond. In 1977, Miss Schoedinger donated over 500 dolls representing her travels around the world to the Worthington Historical Society’s Doll Museum. The world of dolls that surrounded her in her retirement reflected her fascination with collecting dolls made in each country as souvenirs of her experiences, and were truly the stories of her travels around the world!

Pictured: Helen Schoedinger, age 13, 1905.

Open Wednesday – Friday: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m  Admission is $3.00 for a self-guided tour. Group tours are also available for $4.00 per person. Group tours can be scheduled for weekdays or the weekend.

Doll Museum at the Old Rectory, 50 West New England Ave, Worthington OH 43085