Collecting in Missouri: How two Kansas City Women’s Love for “Small Things” Grew a National Museum

In 1982, Mary Harris Francis (1927-2005) and Barbara Hall Marshall (1923-2021) combined their respective passions for historic toys and fine-scale miniature art to form a museum near Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. The idea to do so came about after the two friends returned from a trip with new purchases for their ever-expanding collections. Francis’ mother exclaimed that if they got one more thing, they’d have to start a museum! Forty years later, The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (T/m) houses over 90,000 objects—and growing. Each miniature is a testament to the artist’s keen ability to achieve incredible detail at a seemingly impossible scale. A broad array of toys—the largest number on public display in the nation— serves as a catalyst for conversation reflecting on the connections between past and present. Rislow will delve into what it means to “collect” in Missouri. Using the backdrop of T/m, the presentation will explore how we all share stories and create memories through the process of collecting. The presentation will include highlights from the broader T/m collection. Venues have the option to customize content to focus more specifically on either toys or fine-scale miniatures.