Improvements in Paper Dolls.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1895-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Dolls.
I, EDWARD TINKHAM GIBSON, Physician, of 629, South 8th Street,
Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, United States
of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in paper dolls of that class in which
complete and variable changes in the costume of the doll can be made by the
proper adjustment of paper garments provided for this purpose, and the invention
consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described
and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front view of an armless, shoulderless, and headless paper doll
body.
Figure 2 is a front view of a paper locking key baving the head of the doll at
its upper extremity.
Figure 3 is a front view of a paper garment piece consisting of a portion on
which is pictorially represented an article of wearing apparel worn on the human
body suspended from the waist, and of an upward extended portion constructed
to form a loop piece at the upper extremity of the pictorially represented
garment.
Figure 4 is a side view of the garment piece shown in Figure 3, exhibiting
the upper extremity or loop piece of the said garment piece bent backwards on
the line C (Figure 3) to admit of the said garment piece being hung upon the doll
body.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a garment piece which like the one shown in
Figure 3 has pictorially represented on its front surface an article of wearing
apparel worn suspended from the waist, but differs from it in having a loop
piece glued to the back of the upper extremity of the pictorially represented
garment.
Figure 6 is a front view of a paper garment piece consisting of a portion on
which is pictorially represented a combination of articles of wearing apparel worn
on the human body above the waist, or hips, and of a downward extended portion
constructed to form an extension at the lower extremity of the pictorially
represented garment to admit of the said garment piece being supported on the
doll body by the garment pieces shown in Figures 3 and 5.
Figure 7 is a front view of a paper garment piece on which is pictorially
represented an article, or a combination of articles, of wearing apparel worn on
the human body extending from above the waist to below the waist.
Figure 8 is a back view of the garment piece shown in Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a side view of the garment piece shown in Figures 7 and 8. In
these last three figures a loop piece is shown glued to the back of the pictorially
represented garment to admit of its being hung on the doll body.
Figure 10 is a front view of a paper garment piece which is provided to serve
a purpose similar to that of the garment piece shown in Figure 7, but differs
from it in construction in having, as has the garment piece shown in Figure 6 a
waist extension whereby it may be supported on the doll body by the garment
pieces shown in Figures 3 and 5.

page_text: and 7, combined.
Figure 12 is a side view of the doll parts combined, as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 13 is a back view of the doll parts combined as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 14 is a front view of the doll parts shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, (or 5), and 6,
combined.
Figure 15 is a side view of the doll parts combined as shown in Figure 14.
Figure 16 is a side view of the parts shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 (or 5), and 10
combined.
Figure 17 represents the doll body A having boots and provided with incisions
at the top and bottom of the boots.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
The paper doll body A, is destitute of arms and shoulders and is preferably
destitute of a head and neck as is the body shown in the drawing, but as the presence
or absence of a head does not in any way affect the object aimed at in depriving
the doll body of arms and shoulders, which object is to admit of the upper portion
of the trunk of the doll body being contracted to a breadth no greater than the
breadth of the trunk at the waist, it must be understood that I do not limit my claim
of invention to a doll body which besides being destitute of arms and shoulders is
also destitute of a head. The said paper doll body A has in the vicinity of the
waist line yet in no instance at a higher level above the waist line than the lower
level of the breasts in a normally proportioned doll a lateral projection a on and
from each side of the trunk portion A', which portion A' above the said lateral
projections is at all points of less breadth than that of the surface between the
extremities of the two said lateral projections. Said lateral projections a a are
formed to serve as hangers upon which can be hung paper garment pieces having
a construction which will be hereinafter fully explained.
Below the said lateral projections the doll body is formed to meet the require-
ments of the design of the doll. That is to say, if the doll is designed to be arrayed
in paper garments representing articles worn by females. This said lower portion A'
of the doll body may be formed to represent a skirt, as is the portion shown in the
drawing, the feet, or a foot, of the doll being represented as projecting below the
skirt. If, however, the doll is designed to be arrayed in male costume, or if it is
desired to provide the doll body with lower limbs the said portion A³ is formed
accordingly. It will be seen that the lower end of the said doll body may terminate
in the feet of the doll, but I prefer to have the feet simply pictured on the paper
composing the doll body and the lower end of the said piece of paper cut at a right
angle to the vertical line of the doll body so as to provide a substantial support
for the said doll body when the latter is erected in combination with the locking
key B, which locking key will be hereinafter fully explained.
When the said portion A2 is formed to represent the lower extremities of a male,
(see Figure 17) I shall in many instances represent the lower extremities as being
encased in boots, and along the upper extremity of the boot-legs will make an
incision a in the paper to admit of the lower extremity of knee-pants provided for
the doll being inserted into the said incisions. I shall also make incisions a' beneath
the soles of the said boots in order that a garment piece representing full length
pantaloons having shoes may be held in close contact with the surface of the said
portion A by inserting extensions provided for this purpose at the lowermost end
of the garment piece which represents full length pantaloons, and shoes, into the
said incisions as beneath the boot soles on the said portion A.
Having thus described the paper doll body A, I will proceed to describe the
paper garment pieces which form a part of the doll.
In Figures 3 and 5 1 exhibit one of these said paper garment pieces D. The
object of the particular piece exhibited in Figures 3 and 5 is to afford a garment
piece on which is pictorially represented only such articles of wearing apparel as
are worn on the human body suspended from the waist or hips, and which garment
iece is constructed to be hung upon the hereinbefore described lateral projections a a

page_text: on the paper doll body by passing the trunk portion A¹ of the doll body through
the loop hole c in a loop piece C which loop-piece is attached to the upper extremity
of the portion D¹ of the said garment piece.
The said portion D' of the garment piece is the portion ou the front surface of
which is pictorially represented the particular articles of wearing apparel mentioned
above. On the garment piece shown in Figures 3 and the portion D¹ represents
an overskirt because the doll exhibited in the drawings is designed to be arrayed in
female costume, but when the herein described doll is designed to be arrayed in
male costume, the said portion D₁ will be formed to represent an article, or a
combination of articles, of male wearing apparel worn suspended from the waist
or hips, or worn on the lower limbs. If the paper of which the said portion D'
consists is sufficiently thin to admit of its being beut upon itself without cracking,
the said loop piece C is formed by an extension of the piece of paper at the upper
extremity of the portion D' as is shown in Figure and the said extension is
afterwards bent backward on the line C¹ to bring the surface of the loop hole c to
about a right angle with the back of the portion D' as is shown in Figure 4, thereby
admitting of the garment piece being properly hung upon the paper doll body
as herein before explained.
If, however, the said paper is too thick to be bent without breaking, the loop
piece C is formed by a thin and separate piece of paper and is glued in position
at the back of the upper extremity of the portion D' of the garment piece as i
shown in Figure 5.
In Figures 7, 8, and 9 I exhibit another garment piece E, which forms a part of
the doll; the last three mentioned figures being different views of the same garment
piece. This said garment piece consists of a piece of paper E¹ on the front surface
of which is pictorially represented an article, or a combination of articles, of
wearing apparel worn on the buman body extending from a point above the waist
to a point below the waist; to the back of this said piece of paper E¹ is glued one
extremity of a paper loop piece C which loop piece is like the one shown in
perspective in Figure 5 and has its free extremity bent backwards to about a right
angle with the back of the piece E' as is shown in Figure 9.
In the said free
extremity is a loop hole c, and the loop piece C is so attached to the back of the
piece of paper E as to bring the surface of the loop hole c at a right angle with
the vertical line of the piece E' and in a position which will admit of the garment
waist represented on the piece E' being brought into natural position on the doll
body A when the trunk portion A¹ is passed through the loop hole c and the
garment piece is hung upon the lateral projections a a.
し
In Figure 6 I exhibit still another garment piece F, which forms a part of the
doll. This said garment piece is made of paper and on the portion F¹ is pictorially
represented an article, or a combination of articles, of wearing apparel worn on the
human body above the hips or waist. A downward projected waist extension F' is
provided at the bottom of the said gaiment piece F which waist extension can be
inserted between the back of the upper extremity of the above described garment
piece having loop pieces C, and the front of the corresponding part of the doll
body A by passing the said extension F downwards through the loop hole in
the loop piece C when the said garment pieces having loop pieces are hung in
position on the doll body. In Figure 14 is shown a front view of this said garment
piece F, supported on the front of the dull body A by means of the said
extension inserted into the loop hole of the loop piece on the garment piece D,
and in Figure 1 is shown a side view of the same. When the said garment
piece E or F is provided on its front surface with a pictorial garment representation
which will admit of the arms and shoulders of the doll being also represented ou
the same piece, the arms and shoulders of the herein described doll are thus
provided. On some of the garment pieces F and E which I shall furnish with the
said doll the pictorial garment, ornament, or accoutrement, representation which
I shall provide will be such as will not admit of the arms and shoulders of the doll
being represented on the same piece with the said representation and in order to

page_text: supply the required representation of shoulders and arms I shall furnish additional
garment pieces which are provided with shoulders and arms and which additional
garment pieces are to be employed in connection with such garment pieces F and E
as may have no arms and shoulders pictorially represented upon them by inserting
the waist extension of the said additional piece between the back of the armless
and shoulderless garment piece For E and the front of the corresponding part of
the doll body A through the loop hole in the loop piece attached to the garment
piece hung upon the said doll body.
In Figure 10 I exhibit another garment piece H, which forms a part of my doll.
Like the herein before described garment piece E this garment piece H is provided
for the representation of an article, or a combination of articles of wearing apparel
worn on the human body extending from a point above the waist to a point below
the waist. This garment piece H is made of paper and differs from the garment
piece E in having a downward projected waist extension H2 which waist extension
is employed to support the garment piece in position on the doll body in connection
with garment pieces having loop pieces in precisely the same way that the waist
extension F is employed to support the garinent piece F and which way has been
already explained; on one or both sides of the sand waist extension H' is a
section II which section is free from the waist extension H' and is continuous with
the portion H of the garment piece. On the front surface of the said section or
sections H3 and the said portion H' is made the pictorial representation of articles
of wearing apparel or adornment.
When the said garment piece H is placed upon the doll body the sections H³
lap over the front of the supporting garment piece. This said garment piece His
not shown supported on the doll in front view in the drawings as I believe it would
be superfluous as it would appear the same as Figure 14 excepting that the
sections I would lap over the front of the garment piece D; a side view,
however of the said garment piece H is shown in Figure 16, supported on the doll
body A by having its waist extension H2 inserted into the loop hole in the loop
piece Cattached to the garment piece D and showing the section H³ of the said
garment piece I lapped over the front of the said garment piece D which
garment piece D is supported as has been herein before fully set forth by having
its loop piece C looped over the trunk portion A' of the doll body A and hung
upon lateral projections a on the said trunk portion.
The paper locking key B has preferably the paper head G and neck G¹ of the
doll attached to the upper extremity of the said locking key. The said
attachment is either made by gluing the said head and neck to an extension B₁ at
the upper extremity of the locking key, as is shown in the drawings, or by forming
the said extension B into a neck and head; the former method of attachment
is the most suitable when the hereinbefore described garment pieces of the doll are
composed of very thick paper, as for such garment pieces an equally thick head
and neck piece would be desired; but when the said garment pieces are composed
of comparatively thin paper, the latter method of attachment is suitable and is
cheaper.
It must be understood that I do not limit my claim of invention to a locking hey
having a paper doll head and neck attached to its upper extremity, as the presence
or absence of said head and neck does not in any way affect the object of the said
locking key which object is primarily, to lock the hereinbefore described garment
piece in position on the doll body A when the said pieces are hung upon the
Jateral projections a a, and secondarily to afford a means whereby the said doll
body may be supported in nearly an erect position. The said locking key B is
made of paper and has, near its upper end, a loop hole B2 which loop hole is
formed at right angles to the vertical line of the said key and has its long diameter
sufficiently great to admit of the upper extremity of the trunk portion A' of the
paper doll body A being passed through it. Below the said loop hole B at a
point which, when the garment pieces are locked by the said key in proper positiou
on the doll body A, corresponds to the upper level of the two lateral projections a a

page_text: on the doll body, the said locking key is sharply contracted on both sides and then
continues downward from the line of said contraction, and in an extension B' which
extension has its breadth slightly less than the long diameter of the loop holes con
the loop pieces C which form a part of the hereinbefore described garment pieces.
The said garment pieces are locked in position when hung upon the lateral
projections a a of the doll body by passing the extension B of the locking key
downwards and against the back surface of the doll body through the loop hole c
in each loop piece C, of the various garment pieces which have been hung as has
been hereinbefore described on the doll body until the loop hole B2 in the locking
key arrives at the level of the upper end of the trunk portion A' of the doll body
at which level the said end of the trunk portion of the doll body is inserted into
the loop hole B in the locking key and the downward movement of the locking key
is then continued until arrested by the lower edges of the expanded portion of the
said key coming in contact with the upper surface of the uppermost of the said
loop pieces C. This locks the doll parts together so firmly that the doll may be
tossed about without disarranging the parts.
By making the extension B³ of the locking key of sufficient length, it serves to
support the doll in a nearly upright position if the said extension is bent backwards
to a sufficient degree at the point where it emerges from the loop hole c of the
lowermost garment piece, and as is shown in Figures 12 and 15.
As has already been set forth it is immaterial whether the paper head and neck
of the doll be attached to the upper end of the trunk portion A' of the paper
body A. or to the upper end of the locking key B. I prefer however that the said
head and neck be attached to the locking key, as this construction admits of the
hair represented on the head being projected laterally to any desired distance.
The head G of the herein described doll differs from other paper dolls heads
that have been invented in having a laterally extended neck ornament section g
on and from each side of the neck G¹ of the said head, the said laterally extended
neck ornament sections being free from the said head and from the body of the
doll and purposely projected downward to a greater distance than the bottom of
the said neck in order that their lower borders may be lapped over the front of
the upper extremity of the garment piece which extends on the body of the doll
to the bottom of the said neck and thereby serve to steady the garment piece as is
shown in Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.
I am aware of the existence of a paper doll having a head secured to the front
of a long neck extension on a paper body in a manner which leaves the chin
part of the head free from the neck extension to admit of the chin lapping over
the front of the upper extremity of a paper garment and am also aware that the
said head has curl sections on each side of the chin. In this said doll however it
is necessary that the head and curl sectious be fashioned from a piece of paper
separate from the neck extension whereas I accomplish my object by a construction
which does not require the chir of the head, or its equivalent to be free from
what in my doll might be considered as corresponding to the said neck extensions
and which construction admits of the head, neck and body, of the doll, being
formed in one piece and still further the construction which I have devised does
away with the necessity of having curl sections at the side of the chin and there-
fore permits of any desired style of hair dressing being represented in connection
with the doll head.
1
In this Specification it will be observed that when referring to the lateral
projections aa on the doll body I state that they are formed on the trunk portion
of the said body at a level which is not higher on the said trunk portion than the
lower level of the breasts in a normally proportioned doll figure; I
am thus
particular because I desire it to be distinctly understood that the said lateral
projections a a are not placed at a level which might be considered as making
them mere substitutes for the shoulders of the doll. In order to accomplish my
object, however it is necessary in some instances particularly in paper dolls con-
structed to represent very young children, that I place the said lateral projections a a

page_text: on the trunk of the doll body at a level which corresponds to the lower level of
the breasts of the child as the waist line of their garments is usually fashioned
immediately below their breasts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :--
1. In a paper doll the combination of an armless and shoulderless piper body
having, at a level which is not higher upon the said body than the lower level of
the breasts in a normally proportioned doll figure. lateral projection on each side
of the trunk portion of the said body, the trunk portion above the said lateral
projections being at all points of less breadth than that of the surface between the
extremities of the two said lateral projections, paper garment pieces having loop
pieces which adapt the said garment pieces to be hung separately as well as
collectively upon the said lateral projections, a paper locking key having near its
upper end a loop hole designed for the insertion of the upper end of the said trunk
portion of the paper doll body and having below the said loop hole, at a point on
the surface of the key which point when the garment pieces are locked by the said
key in position upon the doll body corresponds to the upper level of the two
said lateral projections on the doll body, a sharp contraction in the horizontal
expanse of the key on both siles and still further having a downward extension
from the point at which the said sharp contraction occurs which downward extension
is designed to be passed through the loop holes in the loop pieces attached to the
said garment pieces to completely lock together the parts composing the doll and
at the same time afford a sustaining strip which serves to support the said doll
body in a nearly upright position when properly bent, a paper head attached to the
upper extremity of the said locking key and paper garment pieces having a
downward projected waist extension, which waist extension adapt the said garment
pieces to be supported separately as well as collectively upon the said doll body
by inserting the waist extension from above downwards into the loop hole in the
loop piece which exists attached to aforesaid garment pieces sub-tantially as shown
and described.
2. A paper doll having an armless and shoulderless paper body and a lateral
projection on each side of the trunk portion of the said body at a level which is
not higher on the said trunk portion than the lower level of the breasts in a
normally proportioned doll figure, the width of the trunk portion above the said
lateral projections being at all points less than the width of the surface between
the extremities of the two said lateral projections so as to permit of loop pieces
attached to paper garment pieces being hung upon the said lateral projections by
passing the trunk portion of the said doll body from below upwards through the
loop holes in the said loop pieces substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a paper doll body having no arms and no shoulders, of
a lateral projection on each side of the trunk portion of the said body at a level
which is not higher on the said trunk portion than the lower level of the breasts
in a normally proportioned doll figure, the width of the said trunk portion above
the said lateral projections being at all points less than the width of the surface
between the extremities of the two lateral projections and paper garment pieces
having loop pieces at the top or at the back which loop pieces can be hung upon
the said lateral projections by passing the trunk portion of the said doll body
from below upwards through loop holes in the said loop pieces, substantially as set
forth.
4. The combination with an armless and shoulderless paper doll body having a
lateral projection on and from each side of the trunk portion of the said body at
a level which is not higher ou the said trunk portion than the lower level of the
breasts in a normally proportioned doll figure, the width of the said trunk portion
above the said lateral projections being at all points less than the width of the
surface between the extremities of the two lateral projections, and paper garment

page_text: pieces having loop pieces by which they are hung upon the said lateral projections
on the doll body, of a garment piece or pieces having a downward projected waist
extension which waist extension can be inserted between the back of the paper
garment pieces having loop pieces and the front of the corresponding part of the
said doll body by passing the said waist extension from above downwards through
the loop holes in the said loop pieces, substantially as set forth.
5. In a paper doll having a paper head and neck in connection with the paper
body and having paper garment pieces which are detachably securel to the
paper body, the said garment pieces being supported on the said body by means of
loop pieces attached to the said garment pieces, and which loop pieces are looped
over the trunk of the doll body and hung upon lateral projectio is provided for this
purpose on the said trunk, and having other paper garment pieces which are
supported on the said body by means of an extension at the bottoms of the garment
pieces which extension is inserted from above downwards into the loop holes in the
loop pieces attached to garment pieces which are hung upon the said lateral
projections on the doll body, the combination with the said neck of the doll of a
laterally extended neck ornament section on and from each side of the neck, the
said laterally extended neck ornament sections being free from the doll head and
body and projected downwards to a greater distance than the said neck of the doll
so as to permit of the said downward projected lateral extensions of the neck
ornament being lapped over the front of the upper extremity of the paper garment
piece which extends on the said doll body to the bottom of the said neck and
thereby serve to steady the said garment piece substantially as set forth.
6. In a paper doll the combination of an armless and shoulderless paper body
having a lateral projection on each side of the trunk portion of the said body at a
level which is not higher on the said trunk portion than the lower level of the
breasts in a normally proportioned doll figure, paper garment pieces having loop
pieces which adapt the said garment pieces to be hung separately as well as
collectively upon the said lateral projections by passing the said trunk portion of
the doll body from below upwards through the loop holes in the said loop pieces
and a paper locking key having near its upper extremity a loop hole designed for
the insertion of the upper end of the said trunk portion of the doll body and having
below the said loop hole at a point on the surface of the said key, which point when
the garment pieces are locked by the said key in position upon the doll body
corresponds to the upper level of the two said lateral projections on the doll body,
a sharp contraction in the horizontal expanse of the key on both sides and still
further having a downward extension from the point at which the said sharp
contraction occurs which downward extension is designed to be passed through the
loop holes in the loop pieces attached to the said garment pieces to completely lock
together the parts composing the doll, substantially as shown and described.
7. In a paper doll the paper locking key B having near its upper end a loop
hole B2 and having at a suitable point below the said loop hole a sharp contraction
in the longitudinal expanse of the surface of the key on both sides and still further
having an extension B³ coinciding with the center of the said loop hole B' as shown
and described and for the purpose specified.
8. A paper doll body having its lower extremities represented as being encased
in boots and provided with an incision, or the indication for an incision, along the
margin of the upper extremity of the said boots, and also beneath the soles of the
boots for the purpose specified.
በለ
1
1005
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.