The collection consists of a wide variety of paper toys from the 17th through the 20th centuries, including: paper dolls and costumes; miniature soldiers; Valentines and Christmas cards; movable and pop-up books; peep shows, panoramas, and toy theaters, complete with characters and scenes; magic lanterns and their slides; board and card games; scraps; fashion plates; scrapbooks; pattern books for weaving, sewing, paper folding, and paper cutting; and note cards and postcards illustrating dolls and toys of the 18th and 19th centuries from various other collections. This collection provides examples of the evolution of printing processes, particularly chromolithography and the development of better quality papers, inks, and presses. In addition, Mrs. Waldron's personal memorabilia constitutes part of the collection. The paper dolls range from one with an ornate 17th century dress of chenille to sheets of paper dolls extracted from mid-20th century women's magazines, such as Ladies Home Journal and McCall's. Other representative works include: pantins (cardboard human figures with jointed necks, bodies, and limbs also known as jumping jacks) made by French firms during the 18th century; fashion figures with lavishly decorated and clothed dolls used by dress-makers to illustrate the latest fashions and styles; examples of "toy books" introduced by the English that consist of paper dolls that illustrate stories containing a moral lesson; handmade and cut dolls reflecting the work of such American artists as Sarah Goodridge, Martha Appleton, Lillie Gardiner, and others; paper dolls for boys portraying activities like hunting and sailing, along with military figures and paper soldiers; printed paper dolls of popular figures, such as Jenny Lind and Tom Thumb; magazine cut-out dolls that appeared in monthly installments like Dolly Dingle, Lettie Lane, Betty Bonnet, and Betsy McCall; and paper dolls used to advertise products. The greater portion of the material is 19th century and American or English in origin, although there is a fair representation of paper toys from Germany and France. Some of the paper dolls were designed and illustrated by Mrs. Waldron herself. Beyond paper dolls, the collection includes a variety of related paper toys. "Peepshows" or expanded scenes depicting such things as garden parties, model villages, a dairy yard, exotic places, and the Holy family are present. Victorian theater sets, complete with stages, props, characters, and dialogue demonstate an entertainment form. A roll panorama, made by Milton Bradley in the late 19th century, also gave children a chance to operate a small theater. Included with this toy is an instruction booklet that includes tickets and directions on how to run the theater as a business. Movable and pop-up books, issued by the English firms, Tuck, Nister, and Dean provide additional examples of paper toys. A number of games and instructional toys in the collection demonstrate ways in which adults attempted to make learning a palatable experience for children. Board games include: The Circle of Knowledge, published by J. Passmore; Newton's New Game of Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished, printed by Will. Darton in 1818; an illustrated geography lottery play game, consisting of 18 cards of geographical places and cities and one sheet of numbers, made in Germany, ca. 1840; the Historioscope, a Panorama of American History, published by Milton Bradley & Co.; etc. The memorabilia in the collection consists of original drawings, sketches used as drawing lessons, watercolors, prints, photographs, and clippings from 1912 to 1977 that reflect Mrs. Waldron's studies of art, the teaching of art, her work in design, and her interest in the history of dolls, paper dolls, toys, and greeting cards (especially Valentines). Several Christmas designs are included. Some of Mrs. Waldron's personal letters (many of her early ones to family members are illustrated) are found in the collection, particularly correspondence relating to her purchases and doll-collecting club activities. Trade catalogs and price lists are also included. Mrs. Waldron also kept her research notes, articles about collecting, and lists of makers, illustrators, and artists. For example, there is a list of artists employed by McLoughlin Brothers. Mrs. Waldron also collected fashion plates and articles about fashions (mostly women's and girls' fashions, but also men's and boys'). Some of the fashion plates show children playing, and several depict fancy dress costumes.
