Rare Victorian Advertising Paper Dolls | Complete McLaughlin Coffee & Hershey's Chocolate 13-Piece Lithographed Set | c. 1890 *Free Shipping

Rare Victorian Advertising Paper Dolls

Complete McLaughlin Coffee Plus Hershey's Chocolate 13-Piece Set, c. 1890  Free Shipping

This lovely rare Victorian paper doll set dates to c. 1890.  They are now often collected as  American advertising ephemera but well over a century ago, they were imaginative toys for children that were often tucked inside packaging as give-aways.

One of its most fascinating features is McLaughlin Coffee's ingenious "Progressive Doll." This design in allows not only the change of clothing but also the doll's head and torso that may be switched to create entirely new characters. This is one of the more inventive paperdoll designs from the Victorian era.

The complete twelve-piece group consists of lithographed child figures with their detachable clothing.  These were produced for McLaughlin Coffee. Another figure, seen lower far left in the gallery image, was issued as a promotional giveaway for Hershey's Chocolate.

Paper dolls of this type were offered as premiums with grocery purchases or collected through token programs and mailed to eager children through the post office. 

The figures are vividly printed in color on strong paper stock and were designed to stand upright. Several retain detachable garments and accessories.

The imagery is characteristic of late Victorian commercial illustration, with expressive children's book faces, rich color, and carefully rendered details. Together, the figures offer a vivid glimpse into late Victorian childhood, consumer culture, and late nineteenth-century American advertising.

This set has remained in a long-held private collection and was carefully preserved in archival storage for decades. Several pieces retain light, period pencil inscriptions on the reversel obviously made by a young child.

Comparable examples are illustrated in widely respected paper doll reference books, now out of print, underscoring their recognized importance within the field. 

These lovely little paper dolls are well suited for museum or private collection display devoted to Victorian childhood, advertising history, and printed ephemera.


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Measurements

• Smallest figure (Hershey's Chocolate boy): 4⅝ inches (11.74 cm)
• Largest McLaughlin Coffee figures: approximately 4¾ inches (12.06 cm)

Detachable clothing and accessories are scaled to fit their corresponding figures.

Condition

Overall excellent condition for Victorian paper ephemera. Colors remain bright and well preserved. The Hershey's Chocolate boy retains his original loosely attached legs, consistent with the period construction. Several pieces bear light pencil names on the reverse, added during original use. No significant losses or damage. An exceptionally attractive and well-preserved complete set.

Provenance

From a long-established private family collection preserved for decades in archival storage.