Kathryn Leach Doll Collection

The Breckenridge Fine Arts Center welcomes you to the Kathryn Leach Doll Collection. The collection, consisting of nearly 750 dolls, is housed in a 1300 sq. ft. gallery and represents a lifetime expression of love and devotion — not only for dolls, but for children as well.  It is the Fine Arts Center’s wish that each visitor experience some of the nostalgic innocence of his/her childhood, and at the same time, gain an insight into the beautiful spirit of Kathryn Coye Leach.

When she was 16 years old, Kathryn accompanied her parents to Europe where she purchased a few dolls. These purchases reinforced her already intense interest in dolls, thus beginning a lifetime of collecting.  Each doll is a collector’s item with some dating as far back as the 1860s.  Many were acquired throughout the extensive travels the Leach family took through the United States and abroad.  Those not collected while traveling were gifts from family and friends.  Of special interest in the collection are nine miniature rooms displaying Lilliputian furnishings and dolls.

​In 1992, the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center was chosen by Kathryn and Julian Leach of Fort Worth, Texas, as the permanent home for the collection.  In July of 1994, Mrs. Leach was awarded the United Federation Doll Club’s Award of Excellence for the protection and preservation of dolls.