While a large portion of the artifacts at the Grinnell Historical Museum are local, a few pieces of the collection found their way to Iowa from across the globe. The Door of Hope Mission Dolls, on display until early 2026, showcases textile art, wood carving and the social customs and divides of urban China over a century ago.
The temporary exhibit was curated by museum volunteer Barb Briggs and board member Barb Lease. The 17 dolls were handmade by young girls seeking refuge from human trafficking at the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai, China in the early 20th century. According to Lease, girls at the mission would make and sell dolls to build practical skills and earn money.
“Probably some of the money was kept to support the mission, but much of it was for them, to try to teach them skills and support themselves, and I think there was some aspect too of helping them find suitable spouses,” explained Lease.
The dolls were purchased in the early 1930s by Dr. Sara Ann Brown, a professor at West Virginia University. She donated her personal collection to the museum after moving to Grinnell for retirement. As Brown didn’t buy the dolls directly from the mission, according to Lease, the exact path they took from Shanghai to Iowa is not entirely clear.
“There’s probably doll collectors everywhere that, like Dr. Sara Ann Brown, die and leave their collections to small museums and small towns, and nobody even knows it,” said Lease. Without an adequate space to display them, said Lease, the dolls sat in museum storage for many years before being rediscovered.
“A lot of things were in closets that previous volunteers had taken in, and then they sat there for years … so they’re just pulling boxes out, finding these dolls. They had no idea they were even there,” said Lease.
“What drew [Briggs and I] to these initially is the incredible handwork on them,” explained Lease. “The faces are carved by hand, so no two are alike… I can’t believe the skill that these young girls had.”
“As we researched, we read that [the dolls] accurately represent the social classes of the time,” said Lease, pointing out the differences between farmers in raincoats and women dressed in elegant silk. Briggs said that much of the clothing is thought to have been made from scraps the girls at the Mission found or were given. In this way, she says, the different fabric types give a sense of the mix of social strata the artists encountered in their own lives.
“Anybody that sews or loves clothing and textiles looks at the workmanship on these and goes, oh my gosh, these are beautiful,” said Lease.
The Door of Hope Mission Dolls can be viewed at the Grinnell Historical Museum, 703 1st Ave, from 1 to 5 PM Tuesday-Friday. Tickets are $8 for students with valid IDs and $10 for the general public.