Victorian Paper Dolls - Freebies and For Sale

Do the words Victorian fashion evoke images of corsets and bustling luxurious gowns? Well they should. While certainly not everyone could afford high fashion during the Victorian age, we tend to think of the beautiful yet sometimes stuffy prim and proper clothing of the day.

I've gathered collections of free printable paper dolls of the era as well as books for sale. Fashion aficionados will appreciate the detail of some of the work, especially by well-known artist Tom Tierney. But little girls (and not so little girls) will love them too for playing with and collecting. The links will either take you to more info on the printable dolls or to Amazon to purchase the books if you choose.

The 19th Century Paper Dolls site is run by a writer who loves to do what she calls doodling in her spare time. If you visit the site, you'll see these aren't your average doodles. She does beautiful work and has offered free paper dolls for downloading and printing.

All the characters are taken from her stories. Visit the link below to learn more. Please note that for the life of me I couldn't find the author's name on the site. I'm assuming the artist is a female. I did see a name on a site linked from this one but I'm still not sure if that is the artist who created these beautiful dolls.

• 19th Century Paper Dolls site

This free book for download is available through the online magazine Victoriana. You need to friend them on Facebook first but it's well worth it. Besides the free book, the magazine is constantly updating its article base on Victorian topics ranging fashion and architecture to social issues.

These vintage images are reproductions from the Godey's Lady's Book from 1859. The link below will take you to more info on the book and also has a link to the Facebook page.

Paper doll artist Tom Tierney is well known for his attention to historical details of the fashions of the era he's working with. His Great Fashion Designs of the Victorian Era Paper Dolls is no exception. This fantastic set includes 2 dolls with 28 costumes including Queen Victoria's wedding gown.

Artist Theodore Menten has adapted 19th century fashions from Harper's Bazar in his set of 4 dolls with 28 costumes that include formal and casual wear.

Godey's was a popular U.S. monthly women's magazine in the 19th century. Each issue included hand-tinted fashion plates in each issue.

These two sets are from different eras within the Victorian age which are 1840-1854 and 1860-1879. The first one includes 7 female dolls with 50 costumes including some for women and girls. The second set includes 2 dolls with 16 costumes and accessories.

This set is far beyond just paper dolls. Fashion illustrator Norma Lu Meehan has done meticulous research into the bridal fashions of the era. Each costume comes with an explanation and history of the origins. Readers may be surprised to learn that wearing white wasn't always the custom. Learn this and more details all the while enjoying the paper dolls themselves.

The family was epitomized as sacrosanct in the Victorian era. Learn more about family fashions with these sets. The first is a set of 4 dolls with 38 costumes ranging from formal wear to play wear.

The next set is of a boy and a girl with 29 costumes for all kinds of activities both indoor and outdoor. Next is a set based on the art of popular 19th century children's book illustrator Kate Greenaway. It includes 4 dolls with 28 costumes.

Victorian pets, just like today, were considered members of the family. In the Victorian Cat Family Paper Dolls set, we see a cat family decked to the nines in period garb. Any cat-fancying Victoriana lover would enjoy this set. The next set includes 8 pet paper dolls with costumes.

I've done my best to make sure that the dolls I've listed in this article are indeed being offered by the creators for free. If, however, you are the artist and dispute this, please contact me through the contact PJ_Deneen button on the right side of this page.

Readers, please be sure to read the terms of use on the sites you are downloading images from. Many paper doll artists generously share some of their work but do not want you to sell their images.