Born in Mississippi, Mrs. Coulter has lived in the South her entire life. As a youngster she developed a great love for dolls and has always enjoyed crocheting outfits for them.
In the 1950s she wrote to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington requesting information about their exhibition of women who had been America's First Ladies.
After she obtained pictures of the Smithsonian's collection, she decided to create her very own collection of dolls dressed in appropriate costumes to represent each of the First Ladies.
Unable to find appropriate fabrics from which to create dresses, she decided to crochet their outfits in style and color she thought appropriate for the time in which each served.
Because no reliable painting, photograph or drawing was known to exist for every First Lady, the Smithsonian had decided to depict them all with the same basic size and shape, even though in real life this was not the case.
Mrs. Coulter decided to use discarded "Barbie" dolls that she bought at yard sales and flea markets, many for ten or fifteen cents each, to represent her First Ladies.
She thinks of her creations as "reloved dolls."
The Coulter Doll Museum exhibits will eventually contain several collections, each with its own theme.
As exhibits are added, visitors can click on any exhibit name below to see the dolls in that collection.
