Dolled Up: Playing with the Dolls of Special Collections

By Vivian Derosa ’24
Neilson Library, third floor

Smith College senior Vivian Derosa ’24 explores the meaning, emotional connection, and historical legacy of dolls in her exhibition “Dolled Up: Playing with the Dolls of Special Collections,” on display on the third floor of Neilson Library.

In order to better understand our history with dolls, and how this history interacts with our ideas about gender, race, and class, Derosa says her exhibit asks two questions: What is a doll? And what role do they play in our lives?

Derosa also notes the ubiquity of dolls, from the latest Barbie movie to even those nestled in the boxes of Special Collections. “Dolls both reflect and influence our cultural conversations,” she says. “As our inanimate look-alikes, dolls force us to confront what it means to be human.”

With that confrontation, Derosa notes those who play with dolls are faced with a spectrum of feelings. “All too often, dolls are shaped by—and then further perpetuate—harmful ideology. And yet, a doll also has the potential to represent a child's imaginative power,” she says. “Some dolls, especially homemade dolls, arguably serve as the physical embodiment of a caregiver's love.”

This complicated relationship comes to life in Derosa’s exhibit, showing love, resentment, playfulness, and power, and a doll’s ability to hurt as well as heal.

Contact

specialcollections@smith.edu