Background
Mary Hillier was born on April 30, 1917, London, England, United Kingdom. She was a daughter of Harry and Beatrice Amelia Palmer. Her father was a florist.
(In this volume, Mary Hillier describes dolls from the ear...)
In this volume, Mary Hillier describes dolls from the early Egyptian period to those of the twentieth century. The book includes copious illustrations, a list of makers’ names, dates, and marks, and a bibliography.
https://www.amazon.com/Dolls-Dollmakers-Printed-Germany-Hillier/dp/B000FUW15W/?tag=2022091-20
1968
(This book is a comprehensive look at antique and contempo...)
This book is a comprehensive look at antique and contemporary dolls, factories, designers, and museum collections.
https://www.amazon.com/Pollocks-Dictionary-English-Marguerite-Fawdry/dp/0709199406
1982
(Hillier traces the history of wax dolls from fifteenth-ce...)
Hillier traces the history of wax dolls from fifteenth-century Italy and tells many interesting stories of how these dolls were produced and used over the years.
https://www.amazon.com/history-wax-dolls-Mary-Hillier/dp/0875882374/?tag=2022091-20
1985
Mary Hillier was born on April 30, 1917, London, England, United Kingdom. She was a daughter of Harry and Beatrice Amelia Palmer. Her father was a florist.
Mary Hillier attended Fulham County School.
As a young adult, Mary Hillier worked as secretary to an attorney and later was employed by the Royal Society and by Burlington House as a publications officer. After moving to Mertsham, Surrey, Hillier began helping her husband in his work at Sotheby’s, the famous art auction house. She dealt in Japanese prints and became an expert on the carved wood and ivory toggles known as netsuke. After making puppets for shows at a local orphanage, Hillier became interested in the history of dolls.
In 1966 she wrote a popular book, Pageant of Toys. The book follows a chronological arrangement, beginning with early toys in Europe and the United States and informally discussing the development of playthings, including the ways in which social customs and adult attitudes toward children have affected how toys are produced.
During the 1970s, Hillier acted as an agent for Marianne Bodmer, a Swiss doll collector, buying valuable dolls for Bodmer at auctions. She also served as a consultant to experts at The Antiques Roadshow. Hillier became embroiled in a controversy over the purchase of a pair of dolls known as Lord and Lady Clapham, which she bought for Bodmer in 1974. After the purchase of the dolls, an outcry arose in the art world, precipitating a refusal by the British Board of Trade to export the valuable dolls. Hillier finally persuaded Bodmer to allow the Victorian and Albert Museum to purchase the dolls, thus assuring that they would remain in England.
In 1982 Hillier edited Pollock’s Dictionary of English Dolls. Then Hillier wrote Teddy Bears: A Celebration in 1985, as well as The History of Wax Dolls; the latter volume established her reputation as an expert on the subject. Just before her death in 1999, Hillier produced her last book, a study of Chloe Preston (1887-1969), a children’s book illustrator.
(Hillier traces the history of wax dolls from fifteenth-ce...)
1985(This book is a comprehensive look at antique and contempo...)
1982(In this volume, Mary Hillier describes dolls from the ear...)
1968(A history of the teddy bear, tracing the worldwide toy ph...)
1985(This book traces the history of toys from the Middle Ages...)
1966(This book describes the development of mechanical toys.)
1976(A charming, illustrated record of Chloe Preston's work.)
1999In 1938 Mary Palmer married Jack Hillier, an insurance underwriter and authority on Japanese art. They had two children: Bevis and Mary.