We stopped in Valentine, NE for a pit stop and tea, and across the street was the Cherry County Historical Society Museum. We like checking out places like that, so we walked over. It was an extensive museum of artifacts of early life in Nebraska, but what especially struck me was a collection of over 100 porcelain dolls which had all been costumed by one woman, Suzanne Graves. She had a degree in theater costume wotk, and these dolls were all female figures representing historical personages from various eras, many of them royal figures, all dressed in the costume appropriate to their role and period. There were a number of scrapbooks accompanying the exhibit which provided detailed information on each doll, and background information on Ms. Graves. Here are some photos:
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| One case of the doll collection (3 cases in all!) |
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| Italian, French and English queens |
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| Suzanna Eugenia of Spain and Queen Charlyn I of England |
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| Ms. Graves and her husband |
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| Mr. Graves as a child with her mother. I was struck by how doll-like she herself was as a child |
I thought this was a pretty remarkable collection to find in a county historical society museum!
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