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The Hahn & Amberg company was
begun in Cincinnati, Ohio
USA in 1878 and later moved to New York city around 1893. They
first imported bisque dolls from Germany and France, later they manufactured
their own composition dolls. In 1907 Louis's son, Joshua joined the
company. 1909 the Amberg company copyrighted the first known
American doll head "Lucky Bill" with Louis listed as the
artist. By 1911 the company was advertising it's name as Louis
AMBERG
& SON. By the late 1920's the Amberg company was advertising over 600
style numbers, including some imports. Often marked L A
& S or L A & S NY + the year produced. In 1930 the Louis Amberg
& Son company was sold to E.I. Horsman. Amberg doll molds are
reproduced today, hopefully signed and dated by the artist.
Here are some
Louis Amberg dolls we have found:
| ca. 1903 Mama & Papa Dolls, size ?
bisque head, glass sleep eyes, closed watermelon smiling mouth,
human or mohair wig, ball jointed body, voice box. Unknown
if they were marked, possibly imported, the faces resemble
the early Campbell Kids, some what. |
Photo N/A ca. 1903
Mama & Papa Dolls |
| ca. 1909 Baby Beautiful, made
by Hahn & Amberg, 18 or 23" tall, white or black
doll, cloth body, open mouth unbreakable and "positively
washable" came dressed in a christening gown with bonnet. |
Photo
N/A
1909
Baby
Beautiful |
| ca. 1909 Rompers or Sambo,
10, 12 or 15" tall, made by Hahn & Amberg, white or
black character dolls, was the same as the above dolls only in
different sizes and wore a set of infant "rompers".
The black African American baby doll "Sambo" was also featured
wearing a straw hat. |
Photo
N/A
1909
Rompers |
| ca. 1909 Angora dogs with
Turkish angora manes, plush dog that more resembles a lion
with a pointed nose, long facial mane and long stiff tail with
a tuff of the angora mane at the end, size unknown. Also
they sold Teddy Bears and Teddy Dolls. |
Photo
N/A
1909
Plush
Animals |
| ca. 1909 Chantecler (chicken
doll), 14"
tall, composition
head set on a rooster's body, shown in an ad of Playthings
magazine September 1910. Chantecler was a popular card game at
this time. Also, Happy Hooligan, Lucky Bill, Samson (Uncle
Sam doll), Sunny Jim. |
ca. 1909 Chantecler 14" |
| ca. 1910 Swat Mulligan-Mascot,
11 or 21" tall, composition head with cloth body and
limbs, open mouth, wore a long sleeved shirt that buttoned
down the front and pants with baseball cap and came with
a ball and bat. |
Photo
N/A
1910
Swat
Mulligan-Mascot |
| ca. 1911 Sassy Sue, 9
1/2" tall, composition head with molded hair and molded
knobs for ears that are used to tie a taffeta hair ribbon in
each, painted eyes, closed slight smiling mouth, cloth body
and limbs with sewn on black cloth shoes, wore a solid color
long dress, long sleeved with cloth belt of same fabric, unmarked. |
Photo
N/A
1911
Sassy
Sue, 9 1/2" |
| ca. 1911 Little Sister, 14" tall,
composition head with molded hair on cloth body, wore a long
sleeved blouse trimmed with ric-rack and a one piece
sleeveless v-neck checked or plaid jumper with pleated skirt
with ric-rack trim on front V and around arm holes and waist. |
Photo
N/A
1911
Little
Sister, 14" |
| ca. 1911 Bobby Blake &
Dolly Drake, 8" tall, made to compete with the
Campbell kids, composition heads with molded hair and painted
features, cloth limbs with cloth sewn on shoes and body
stuffed with straw. These dolls must have had their copy
cats as the 1911 Plaything ad states:
Note to Trade: We are
the unquestioned originator of the Bobby Blake and Dolly Drake
models, all heads copied after them are imitations. Trade
Ad: "Do
not be misled by inferior ones of these or others of our
numerous original dolls. We are protecting ourselves and
our customers against infringes of our copyright and trade
mark rights". |
Photo
N/A
1911
Bobby
Brake & Dolly Drake, 8" |
| 1912 Dorothy Dainty,
unsure all the sizes, composition head & arms, cloth
stuffed body, molded painted hair with hair loop for bow, blue
painted side glancing eyes, open mouth with four upper teeth,
marked: L.A. & S. /414/1910. |
Photo
N/A
1912 Dorothy Dainty,
|
| 1912 Character Boy doll, 19" tall,
deep molded painted hair, blue painted eyes, open mouth with
four painted upper teeth, excelsior stuffed muslin cloth body,
pink cloth arms & legs with pin & disk joints, marked: ©/L A
& S/1912. |
Photo N/A 1912
Character Boy doll, 19" |
| 1912 Sis Hopkins, 14" tall, molded
painted bisc like composition head, cloth body, arms & legs
jointed with inside discs, red painted hair bows, rolled up
painted red hair braids, painted side glancing blue eyes,
painted open smiling mouth, the striped red & white stockings &
black boots are part of the leg casing, marks: Unmarked.
Note: Georgene Averill also made
a Sis Hopkins doll that is marked: G. G. Drayton/©
Made with permission of comedienne Rose
Melville (real name Rose Smoch 1873-1946) who played the
character Sis Hopkins in a touring play called Zeb
beginning in 1889 thru the 1920's. |
Photo N/A 1912 Sis
Hopkins, 14" |
| ca. 1914 Newborn Babe, Bottle
Babe, My Playmate or Baby,
9-17" tall, bisque head, painted hair, sleep eyes, cloth
body, some had a crier, head made by three different German
companies: A. Marseille mold 371 with an open
mouth, Recknagel mold 886 and Herm Steiner. Was
designed by Jeno Juzko and was meant to look like a two day
old baby. |
1914
Newborn
Babe, 9"
|
| ca. 1915 Amberg Victory Doll,
16-24" tall, ball jointed composition body, wigged,
sleep eyes, open mouth with teeth, most have marking on back of
"Amberg Victory Doll" (but some have been
found unmarked). Have seen one with a Fulper
marked head. |
1915
Victory
doll, 24"
|
| ca. 1915 Baby Glee, about
18" tall, composition head and probably a cloth body
(could not get a photo of the body so?), molded painted hair,
sleep eyes, open smiling mouth.
Note: Unsure of this
dolls name, as I don't have it in any of my books but this was
the name given. |
1915
Baby
Glee, 18"
|
| ca. 1915 Charlie Chaplin, 14" tall, composition head and hands, cloth stuffed body
and limbs with black shoes attached, painted facial features
with mustache, came dressed in a two piece suit, shirt, tie, cane and top
hat, doll is unmarked. |
1912
Charlie
Chaplin, 14 " |
 1919
Amberg Walking Doll, 21 & 30" tall, "doll
walks by guiding its arm" flange composition head on the
smaller doll, composition shoulder head on the larger size,
full composition arms, painted molded hair &/or
human hair or mohair wig, painted eyes or tin sleep eyes, open
mouth with two upper teeth, ball jointed legs attached to
dolls bottom, cloth stuffed body, came dressed in a cotton
voile dress with matching bonnet both trimmed with lace,
underwear, stockings & shoes, dolls maybe unmarked
or marked: L.A. & S./1919.
Sears 1921 ad states
they offered this doll in three sizes: 19 1/2"
(this doll has stuffed cloth legs) former price $9.50 - Our
Price $5.98. 22 1/2" former price $12.75
- Our Price $8.95. 28 1/2" former
price $19.95 - Our Price $10.85. |
 
1919
Amberg walking Doll, 22 1/2"
|
| ca. 1920's All Bisque
Character dolls, 4-7' tall, made by a German manufacturer
of pre-tinted pink bisque; Bisque Girl, Mibs with molded
flowers in hair or Baby Peggy. |
ca.
1920's Mibs 4 3/4"
|
| 1921 Mibs, 16" tall,
composition shoulder head on a cloth body, composition arms
above elbow, composition hip pin legs with molded painted or
unpainted shoes. Has molded painted hair with a
prominent single center bang that is slightly curled, blue
painted eyes painted upper lashes, closed mouth. Mibs
is a Phyllis May doll (Hazel's daughter) created by Hazel
Drukker (Mrs. George Silberman), based on her column in
the Evening Mail a New York daily newspaper and also
based on the book titled: Phyllis May and Her Dollies
published in 1920. Doll is unmarked. |
Photo
N/A
1921
MIBS, 16"
|
| 1923-1924 Baby Peggy Jean
Montgomery, 20" tall, either composition and wood or
kid jointed body, composition head with molded dark brown hair in
1923, bisque head made by Armand Marseille in 1924 (mold 972,
973 socket head & mold 982 & 983 shoulder
head) with brown
mohair wig, glass eyes with lashes, open smiling mouth with
white painted teeth. Peggy was a child
star of the 1920's. Doll is unmarked.
Born 26 OCT 1918 Peggy Jean later became a book author under the
pseudonym of Diana Serra Cary, and aren't we pleased to
find, she is alive and still with us today.
|
1923
Baby Peggy, 20"
|
| 1924 Sunny Orange Maid or
Sunny Orange Blossom, 14"
tall, composition shoulder head, arms & partial legs,
cloth body with stitched shoulder & hips, squeaker in
body, short arms, painted blue eyes and lashes, closed mouth,
shown dressed in her original orange dress with short jacket
(not shown is her matching cap). Marked: L A
& S/1924. |
1924
Sunny Orange Maid, 14"
|
| 1927 Vanta Baby, bisque
head 20-22" tall or composition head 16-20" tall, composition
and cloth body, molded painted hair, sleep eyes, open mouth
with teeth. Usually marked: Vanta Baby/Amberg. |
1927
Vanta
Baby
|
| 1928 Girl with jointed
twist waist Doll, 8 or 14" tall, composition body, extra ball and socket
waist that can twist, several dolls came with this feature;
Edwina, IT, Peter Pan, Sue, Teenie Weenie & Tiny
Tots. Some dolls maybe marked as so: Amberg/Pat. Pend./L.A.
& S. © 1928. |
1928
Sue, 14"
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