Batsy McCall Paper Dolls

Betsy McCall Paperdolls, via Teri Pettit

When I was little, my mom handed me an envelope of her Betsy McCall paper dolls. I don't know how long she'd been collecting them, but then she started collecting some of them for me. Carefully, she would adhere each doll to a thin piece of card stock, using rubber cement, and then, when dried, cut them out.

I loved them.

Over the years, with the constant onslaught of natural disasters like brothers, dogs, and little baby sisters, the dolls sadly did not survive.

And then, today, I found this. A complete collection of all the Betsy McCall dolls ever published. I wanted to call my mom to share.... and then had one of those moments where it hit me again, that I can't do that. She would have been so excited to see these. I can picture her face so clearly, with an expression not unlike the dolls.