Life Must Be Lived As Play

Across from the admissions desk area at the Strong National Museum of Play a quote by Plato is printed in such large type you can't miss it. But it's an easy thing to read and not understand. It is easy to lose a sense of play and end up living a life prompted by obligation. When you watch a child play, they feel no obligation to do things a particular way. It was interesting to watch the children playing at the Strong Museum - there was a sense of ordered chaos, to be sure.

When I began this blog, it was an act of spontaneity on New Year's Day, 2008. I had not planned ahead of time to do this. There is no obligation here, only joy and fun.


The Strong Museum allows anyone to take pictures of the antique dolls for personal study. They have been very gracious in allowing me to post pictures I took there on this site. Here's the first installment of edited pictures. Taking pictures through glass was a bit like trying to pick up a penny wearing mittens. But I did okay, considering the challenges that the glass presented.

This doll has a haunted, melancholy expression
that is a counterpoint to her warm yellow dress.
She has a crocheted cape around her shoulders.

Because of the length of her dress I wasn't able to take pictures of her boots (or perhaps she has feet?). But she has a beautiful trim figure and looks more like a young woman doll than a child doll. The card dates her to 1845-1855.