"the Bride Who Loved Cats" A Romantic Paper Doll Toy By John Darcy Noble For Sale

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John Darcy Noble was the foremost authority on the dolls of the world," Martha Longenecker, president of the Mingei Museum, told the Los Angeles Times this week. "He was singular in his field."

One of the most recent exhibits he curated for the San Diego museum was "Dolls, Mirrors of Humanity," in 1997. The title of the exhibit suggested Noble's view that toys are important cultural artifacts.

"Toys of yesteryear tell us a lot about history," Noble said in an interview with the Washington Post in 1980. "How they were made, who made them, who played with them tell us a lot."

French- and German-made dolls of the 18th century were intended for the amusement of adults, not children, Noble told the Post. Some of them showed off the latest in women's fashions and included moving parts so that they could be used in puppet-like shows.

The first talking dolls were made in Germany in about 1770 and were particularly popular with royals, Noble said. In 1878, Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric light bulb, built a talking doll that contained a tiny phonograph, Noble explained.

Noble began collecting antique toys at the age of 6 when he traded one of his new puzzles for a vintage china whistle. Years later, when he wrote books and articles about antique toys, he often used items from his personal collection as a starting point.

"I believe that play is a natural human activity, and what's wrong with this world is that people have stopped playing," Noble said in an interview with The Times in 1990. "I have never stopped playing since I was a child."

The son of a blacksmith, Noble was born in London. He attended the Goldsmith College of Art in London where he developed a flair as a painter in the British Romantic style. He continued to paint with oils and watercolors throughout his life.

After graduation, Noble worked as a costume designer for theater, ballet and opera in England. He also helped organize exhibitions of toys and dolls for charity fund-raising events. One of these exhibits featured the dollhouse collection of Vivien Greene, the wife of novelist Graham Greene.

In 1955, Noble went to work at Pollock's Toy Museum in London, which was founded by British toy manufacturer Marguerite Fawdry, to help build a permanent collection there.

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