Please Touch Museum

Title: Grace Kelly Doll

Year: 1956

Creator: Tristar International, Inc.

Collection: Please Touch Museum Toy Collection

Material: Plastic and fabric

This object is a doll made to look like actress Grace Kelly for her movie The Swan, in 1956. Grace Kelly was one of the biggest fashion icons of the 1940s and 1950s. This made her a real live Barbie doll.

This object could be important to several people. I think this object is important because it represents Grace Kelly, whom my middle name is after. Fans of hers, her family, movie collectors, and toy collectors would also find this object important. Kelly was a beloved actress and model who not only lived the American dream, but also exceeded it. In the same year that this doll was created Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, making her a princess. Her story captivated the nation. During her married life Grace became a beloved leader, wife, and mother. This is why she is important to many people. She was not only an icon, but also a kind person. It is hard to say who wouldn’t be interested in this object. There may be some people who don’t know who Grace Kelly was. There may also be people who didn’t like her movies or thought she opportunistic.

Grace at her Wedding

The doll is displayed to show the large variety of toy dolls that are created to promote an actor, singer, or band. It was also displayed because Grace Kelly was from Philadelphia. The museum purchased this item for the exhibit. This object is displayed in a glass case among other dolls of famous people. Examples include; John Travolta and Michael Jackson. The case is very tall. My object is on one of the lower shelves. Next to the doll is a label with a star on it. The label text describes the object and who Grace Kelly was. The text seems to be written from the museum’s point of view. The text keeps in mind that children may try to read the label. Therefore, the text is direct, simple, and contains common vocabulary. The nearby dolls show the view the magnitude of stars that were had toy likenesses. There was a wide array of dolls from the past and present. It made it clear there were a lot of such toys and that they are still made today (there were some One Direction dolls)

The exhibit this object is in paints a very positive, but narrow picture. A different point of view might give a more detailed narrative. For example, anyone with a personal memory or association with Grace Kelly or her movies might give a more detailed account of the object’s background. Someone that saw The Swan may have a different narrative that would give detail of the movie and the character.

Fields of study and resources for this object might include; toy history, Barbie, film history, fashion, history of Monaco, and history of advertisements. Grace Kelly was in a Alfred Hitchcock film, that may be a resource as well.

To further develop and engage viewers with this object I would like to do a informal program. I think it would be neat to have other dolls that were made of Grace Kelly as well as items named after her for comparison. I think it would be interesting to the different facets of her life through dolls and fashion accessories. Keeping the children’s museum in mind this could work well with children. They could “dress up” like Grace Kelly and learn about what made her a famous fashion icon.

 

There will be an exhibition next week called From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly Beyond the Icon at Michener Art Museum. Below is the last interview with Grace Kelly before she died in a car accident.