The dolls hospital, photo essay by Alessandro Avondo

Present in Lisbon since 1830, when born by the idea of a passionate old woman,  the Hospital de Bonnecas repairs and restores dolls by tradition. In the age of consumerism, where thousands of stores sell mass-produced dolls, the hospital takes care of old toys and the relationship they have with their owners. Each doll is treated like a patient in the hospital, the necessary care is provided by the “doctors”, artisans specialized in repairing dolls from all over the world. This place, the oldest in the world of its kind, has in fact become an international reference and over the years has accumulated a collection of dolls to open a museum visited by thousands of tourists over the years. The hospital also makes copies of dolls clothes and sells self produced dolls and art designed toys from different artists in Portugal, Germany and Spain.

(by Alessandro Avondo)