Doll

Working in Seattle in the 1960s, Frances Bringloe made "dolls with a purpose." She made her dolls to depict important periods in American history and intended to display them in exhibits and dioramas in libraries, schools, and museums. She carved her figures from Alaskan cedar and created figures with intricate joints to facilitate a variety of poses. In creating the costumes for her dolls, she combined her talents from a previous career in clothing design with extensive research into the accurate portrayal of historical fashions. Several Bringloe dolls represent, not famous and celebrated individuals, but the ordinary people who played important roles in America's past.