Portrait Figures in Miniature
The Pierson Doll Collection

Carol Churchill Pierson (1895-1977) had a mission:  using dolls to teach history.  She was inspired to create a doll collection during a visit to Japan in 1937.  The Japanese use dolls to help teach their children their history and traditions.

Over the years, she collected many dolls in her travels.  In the 1950s, she also commissioned well-known doll makers and artists to create historical figures and appropriate historic settings.   Her dream was to create a children’s museum and to share her collection with the children of Flint.  To help realize her dream, she was an early and active supporter of the Flint Cultural Center.

In 1966, she donated the figures to the Sloan Museum.  They were on continuous exhibit until 1991.  It became clear that the effects of light, heat, and dust were damaging them.

The people and events depicted by the figures are Carol Pierson’s very personal view of important events in world and American history.