Do you remember Mrs. Dalton’s dolls?

If you grew up in Alliance and came to the Knight Museum you probably remember the First Lady dolls created by Mrs. Helen Dalton. These were Barbie dolls dressed in the gowns worn for the Inagurations. She researched and tried to use as close to the real fabric as she could find with intricate embellishments. They start with George Washington and end with Richard Nixon.

We all study the Presidents but do not really study the First Ladies. We were amazed to note that many Presidents Ladies were not actually wives but daughters, sisters, sister or daughter-in-laws or other family members. Several Presidents were widowed or not married and having a hostess was required for the times, so stand-ins were found in the family. This is a bit of history often overlooked until Helen Dalton stepped in!

So if you would like a trip down memory lane or are just interested in a unique snippet of history, stop by and take a look.