The epochs when many dwarf ellipticals were forming their stellar populations have recently become accessible to direct observation, as surveys at $z = 1$–5 have now uncovered thousands of galaxies. I briefly review the properties of various categories of high redshift galaxies in search of clues for possible links to today's galaxy populations. While much of the emphasis up to now has been on massive elliptical galaxies, with several groups claiming to have identified their progenitors with a variety of different techniques, dwarf galaxies have generally been overlooked—no doubt because the observational difficulties at high redshift are still considerable. Based on available data, it is possible that at least some of the ‘Ly$\alpha$ emitters’ and the damped Ly$\alpha$ systems may be on evolutionary paths which will transform them into the galaxies which are the subject of this meeting.