Paris and middle-American-highways have something in common. Both are littered with strange and sometimes wonderful private museums on very specific things. In Paris the volume of tourists must allow for a constant overflow into these individually curated spots and I imagine on route 66 there is little competition from public institutions.
I visited the Musée de la Poupée today and it reminded me of the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, Kansas and the Billy the Kid museum in Fort Sumner, New Mexico for its earnest and handmade presentations and obvious passion for the subject matter. I had mixed feelings finding the place swarmed with not just little girls but some very intent adults (doll people), and realizing that I was one of them.
Over 600 dolls in the permanent collection date from 1800 to 1959, and it's fascinating to see changing ideas of beauty and style as represented through these tiny people. It's hard not to imagine where they have been and what they have seen with their glass, wood, porcelain, or celluloid eyes.
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