NORFOLK, VA.- Before the days of fashion magazines, runway models and social media influencers, people in search of the latest fashion trends turned to a different source: dolls.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, miniature wooden dolls showcased new clothing styles to affluent customers who then purchased materials to replicate the designs.

The Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University will highlight this history through a new exhibition, Carved Couture: 18th-Century British Wooden Fashion Dolls, which opened Jan. 28 and runs through July 31.

Alongside two pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition includes dolls on loan from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

“Since their collections focus on the 18th century, this was a natural opportunity to collaborate with them and showcase some pieces that don’t get displayed often,” said Dr. Sara Woodbury, curator of art for the Barry Art Museum.

The clothing styles of the dolls highlight how fashion signified social status and norms during the era. For instance, one dress includes "leading strings," used by parents to help toddlers walk. Older girls' dresses featured similar "hanging bands," symbolizing their youth and unwed status, as well as their family's authority.

Aside from their connection to fashion, the dolls represent innovations in technology and craftsmanship for the time.

“You can trace a line from these early wooden dolls that could sit and stand without propping and had more complicated facial features to plastic dolls like Madame Alexander’s ‘Cissy’ and Mattel’s ‘Barbie,’” said Dr. Robert Wojtowicz, interim executive director for the museum.

“Carved Couture” continues the Barry Art Museum’s series of historical doll exhibitions. Last year, “Fashioning Innovation: Madame Alexander at 100,” focused on the trailblazing dollmaker’s contributions to the American doll industry. This March, “Out of the Box: A Barbie Doll Retrospective,” will examine the people and processes behind the iconic doll’s creation and wardrobe.

“Carved Couture” and “Out of the Box” are the final two exhibitions before the museum closes in July 2025 for its 18-month $25 million expansion project.