When Jennie Graves opened “Ye Olde Vogue Doll Shoppe” in Somerville, Massachusetts, she set out to design superior quality clothing for high-end doll companies like Kämmer & Reinhardt. In the late 1940s, after more than 20 years running this successful small business, Graves introduced her own eight-inch composition doll. By 1951, demand for the miniature fashion doll had grown and Graves renamed the new hard-plastic series “Ginny” dolls, after her oldest daughter, Virginia.

Ginny was an immediate hit, particularly because of her many detailed outfits available for purchase separately. Graves continued to insist on using high quality fabrics for the doll’s attire, including taffeta, cotton, felt, velveteen, and brocade, sometimes even embellished with lace trimming. The first plastic Ginny products were marked “VOGUE” on their heads and “VOGUE DOLL” on their bodies, sometimes including a patent number.

The series of miniature toddlers in stylish adult clothing was sold in packaging that read “Fashion Leaders in Doll Society.” The success of the Ginny dress-up dolls allowed Vogu...e to expand and create tiny shoes, handbags, eyeglasses, jewelry, and more. By 1954, the dolls incorporated more realistic features, such as sleeping eyes or jointed walking legs, and accessories like a tiny stuffed terrier by Steiff.