Doll and Wardrobe, Sanitary Fair

Dolls were highly popular as toys and collectibles in the nineteenth century, and this rare example, with its extensive wardrobe and exquisitely detailed accessories, was outfitted by a local dressmaker named Eliza Lefferts and sold at the Brooklyn and Long Island Sanitary Fair of 1864. The style and quality of its clothing are representative of an urban, upper-middle-class girl’s wardrobe. Among the many unique objects in the doll’s ensemble is an elaborate toiletries set that was likely a gesture to educate the public about personal hygiene.