Jenny Lind Paper Doll Costume, Norma from the opera "Norma"
ca. 1850
Classification
toys & games
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Frederick Rosengarten
Accession Number
1952-8-1-g
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the whirlwind of 19th-century celebrity culture with the *Jenny Lind Paper Doll Costume Norma from the opera "a"*, created around 1850. Jenny Lind, the Swedish soprano known as the "Swedish Nightingale" (1820–1887), was a global sensation whose 1850–1852 U.S. tour, masterminded by showman P.T. Barnum, sparked "Lind-mania." Fans clamored for souvenirs capturing her operatic glamour, and this paper doll costume—depicting her in the role of the Druid priestess Norma from Bellini's beloved 1831 opera—exemplifies that fervor. Classified as a toy in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's c...