Women in the military, women in uniform, and women in related fields, or references to them, appear in only a few areas in the realm of collectibles. My fifteen years as a "junque" dealer in the northeast, and my television program on collectibles, immersed me in the fascinating world of ephemera, toys, comic characters, dolls and the fun stuff, as well as antiquarian books and documents.
Unfortunately a lot of military collectibles "got away from me" so to speak. (Loosely translated - I sold them.) And now with the blurred vision of hindsight I view what's left of my collection wishing more of it had been saved. And wishing I had some of the things that are shown for you here - no they're not available - but it's fun to make the connection beween military women and some scarce collectibles.
| Wonder Woman began in Sensation Comics in 1942, the creation of a psychiatrist, Dr. William Moulton Marsden. Her mysterious background was not revealed until later but she adopted the identity of Lt Diana Prince, a military nurse. © D.C. Comics | 
| Wonder Woman as the Lt. is shown here with Major Steve Trevor, the man she rescued when he crashed near her secret Amazon island, and though her uniform is certainly questionable, the caduceus is visible on her hat. © D.C. Comics |
Few dolls exist with military themes other than G.I. Joe - but believe it or not there was a G.I. Nurse doll in that series. The doll was produced in 1967 and did not fare well - it has since become quite a collectors item.
© Hasbro
The doll shown at the very top of this page is unusual in that it features a woman disguised as a knight. It depicts Eleanor of Aquitaine, 12th Century French queen, ready to accompany her husband, Louis VII on a Crusade. This valuable contemporary doll was made in 1980 by Margaret Finch, New Rochelle, N.Y., a member of NIADA, the National Institute of American Doll Artists.
In 1943 the Freundlich Novelty Corp. in New York City made these composition dolls with molded caps supposedly a WAC and a WAVE. Their tags said so - but their uniforms were pretty far off. Interestingly they had a bust line long before Barbie. For the times these dolls were very well done and they are quite collectible today. Freundlich also made a General Douglas MacArthur doll.
In the realm of modern dolls the Madam Alexander Company
makes a series of military women dolls - one for each service,
eight inches high, and each with a flag of their respective branch.
© Madam Alexander Co.
| The Precious Moments folks have come up with a series of women in uniform dolls, some in dress uniforms, and this one in her "camouflage"outfit. © Precious Moments |
