Abby Cady doll

Abby Cady doll

This Abby Cady doll and her sisters—also named for Indianapolis’ Christ Church Cathedral sewing guild president Abigail Cady—were sewn, painted, and sold to raise mission funds for the church from about 1890–1930. It is believed that in the 1920s these dolls took on a mission of their own when they were gifted to some of the first children who received experimental insulin therapy for diabetes by Dr. Elliott P. Joslin at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston.