by Maryll Goldsmith Photos by Kathy Monier Historical Composition Dolls The Development of Culture, 1750 Benjamin Franklin's Influence, 1740 he Effanbee Doll Company issued a special series of composition dolls in the year 1939. This was a series of thirty dolls, each designed to represent fashions in America from 1492 until 1939. Various years between these dates were chosen to represent the changes in the styles worn by "fashionable ladies" as the colonies and states were developing. This series was presented in two different sizes of dolls. Three sets of the dolls were made using the 21-inch "Dewees Cochran" model, designed for the American Children bodies and heads. These three sets were used 96 Spring 2019 to display the fashions in various department stores as they toured the country and were not for sale at that time. After the tour concluded in 1941, these larger dolls were offered for sale. Meanwhile, the company made dolls available to the public using a 14-inch painted eye head on an 'Anne Shirley" body. These versions became known as the historical "replicas." The price for each 14-inch doll was $4.98. Imagine during the time of the economical depression, how nearly impossible it would have been for a family to purchase all thirty dolls, so finding a complete set today is a challenge.