Z-Cards (Paper Dolls)

Introduction

Enameline Tennis Paper dolls are exactly what they sound like – paper cutouts of dolls. These were popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s as children sought to amuse themselves. Often, they were available in catalogs where they could be removed and used as toys of a sort or as display pieces.

Various types of paper dolls existed. Some were merely pictures of subjects printed against a background. Others were more complex, including a subject and various cutouts of clothing that could be used as outfits.

Most paper dolls were non-sports issues. They featured children in various poses with various clothing but often did not include sports-themed outfits. However, a handful did and known ones are presented here. The most popular paper dolls set is the Enameline College Colors issue, which not only features a variety of sports, but the names and colors of actual colleges and universities.

While paper dolls are often considered trade cards (H-Cards) by many collectors, technically they do not belong under that classification. Jefferson Burdick called these Z-Cards in his American Card Catalog.

Because of the overwhelming number of individual paper dolls featuring generic subjects and tennis, this page only lists tennis paper dolls that are part of sets.