Masterpiece Dolls of Providence, Rhode Island, started business in 1985. Shirley Blackalls created her first line of dolls in 1978 at the Gorham Company. In 1985, Shirley left Gorham as the Director of Marketing for the Gift Division to start her own company.
Over the last 25 years, Blackall has been involved in the development of porcelain, resin, vinyl and silicone/ vinyl dolls of all sizes and styles. Most notably the dolls appeared on Home Shopping Network (1994-2004) and on Home Shopping Europe (2001-2010).

Under the brand name of Masterpiece Dolls, Blackall Associates currently introduces new dolls twice a year for distribution through retailers in both the US and Europe. These dolls are sculpted by world renowned doll artists such as Monika Levenig and Monika Peter-Leicht. These artists create dolls with life like expressions from 12” to 48” in size. Collectors eagerly await each new introduction of dolls.