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George Borgfeldt Dolls 1881-1959

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Shop for Borgfeldt dolls

Shop for George Borgfeldt dolls

 

 

 

 

 

1900-1913 Borgfeldt Dolly Face doll, 24"

 

1900-1913 Borgfeldt Dolly Face doll, 12-36" tall, bisque socket or shoulder head doll with kid, cloth or composition body.  Bisque doll face shown is on a 24" tall composition jointed body, open mouth with teeth, sleep eyes, beautiful braided coiled wig.

George Borgfeldt & Company was located in New York City USA and founded by George Borgfeldt (b.1833 - d.1903), Marcell and Joseph L. Kahle, as a doll importer, doll assembler for American and Canadian markets and a doll distributor. 

 

Borgfeldt held the distributing rights to many dolls from European manufacturers such as: Bähr & Pröschild, Buschow & Beck and Karl Standfuss, Heinrich Handwerck, Käthe KruseKammer & Reinhardt, JD Kestner, Armand Marseille and Steiff, plus others.

 

Borgfeldt bisque doll heads were made for them by several German doll makers; Alt, Beck & Gottschalck, Kling & Co., Armand Marseille, Max Schelhorn and Simon & Halbig

 

Borgfeldt also distributed American made dolls for; Aetna, Averill, Bergfeld & Son, Bimblick Toy Company NYC, Dreamland Doll, Cameo, K & K or K and K Toy Company (also owned by Borgfeldt), Metal Doll Company, Jeanne Orsini, Tip Top Toy and many other USA doll makers.

Some Borgfeldt distributed Dolly faced dolls have their name in the marking:  Alma doll, Duchess doll, Florodora doll, G. B. doll, Just Me doll, Little Sister doll, My Dearie doll, My Girlie doll, My Playmate doll, Nobbi Kid doll and Pansy II, III, V doll (see Sears for Pansy IV), Princess doll, Snowflake and Virginia short for Ginny dolls both by Oscar Hitt.  Some of these names are known dolls made by Armand Marseille.  My Girlie, Snowflake and Virginia are by ABG - Alt, Beck & Gottschalck.

Some dolls distributed by Borgfeldt may have a G. B. or GB & Co in their marking, others will not and have only the marking from the manufacturer.  Borgfeldt is best known for commissioning and distributing the very successful Rose O'Neill, Kewpie dolls and Grace Storey Putnam, Bye-Lo Baby dolls.

Borgfeldt antique to vintage dolls identified

Borgfeldt Character Baby Doll, 12-24" tall, bisque socket head composition bent limb body, glass sleep or painted eyes, open or closed mouth, wigged.  Some doll mold numbers and markings are: 251, 326, 327, 329, G. B., G.B. & Co. Germany

George Borgfeldt doll mark G.B. & Co Germany

Borgfeldt Character Baby doll mold 215, 11"

Character Baby Doll mold 251, 11"

1922+ Bye-Lo Baby, 9-20" tall, white doll, all bisque doll, bisque and composition, celluloid or wooden head with cloth body, sleep eyes or painted eyes.  Designed by Grace Storey Putnam, based on a three day old newborn child.  Several different markings depending on manufacturer; Copr. by Grace S Putnam Germany 1415/48, © 1923 by Grace S. Putnam Made in Germany or 20-10 Copr. by Grace S. Putnam Germany or BYE-LO BABY Reg. US Pat. Off. K and K Copyright 1922 by Grace Storey Putnam (all inside a circle). 

There is a rare antique black bisque head Bye-Lo doll who is marked with the mold 1415, all the other black Bye-Lo dolls are reproductions, see also below Cameo.

Bye-Lo Baby doll bisque heads were made by Alt, Beck & Gottschalck (doll molds 1369, 1373), JD Kestner, Kling & Co., Hertel, Schwab & Co, composition heads by Cameo (made a rare composition black Bye-Lo doll), celluloid heads by Karl Standfuss, wood heads by Schoenhut, all bisque dolls made by Kestner, cloth body dolls made by K & K or K and K Toy Co., composition body dolls made by König & Wernicke.

Borgfeldt Bye-Lo Baby doll by Grace Putnam

1922 Bye-Lo Baby doll bisque head

by Grace Storey Putnam

1925 Borgfeldt Baby Bo Kaye doll, 16-20" tall, designed by Joseph L. Kallus of Cameo for George Borgfeldt, bisque head by Alt, Beck & Gottschalck, or celluloid head, lightly molded painted hair, sleep eyes, open mouth with two lower teeth, cloth body with composition limbs. The bisque head ABG doll mold 1407.  Doll mark: Copr. by J.L. Kallus Germany 1394.  There were also small all bisque Baby Bo Kaye dolls , 5-8 1/2" tall, with ABG doll mold 1407.

The theory of the Baby Bo-Kaye doll name is that when the President of Borgfeldt and designer Kallus were trying to arrive at a name, a secretary came in carrying a "bouquet" of flowers, cute.

Borgfeldt 1925 Baby Bo-Kaye doll bisque head ABG

1925 Cameo Baby Bo Kaye doll,

18" bisque doll head by ABG

1926 Bonnie Babe, 8-23" tall, bisque or celluloid head, open smiling mouth with two lower teeth, cloth or composition body, ABG doll mold 1386,  1402.  Bisque heads were made by ABG; Alt, Beck & Gottschalck.  Doll Marking: Copr. by Georgene Averill Germany 1005 3652 1386. (Borgfeldt was the distributor for Averill).  There were also tiny 5-7" all bisque Bonnie Babe figurine dolls.

Borgfeldt 1926 Bonnie Babe doll bisque head by ABG

1926 Bonnie Babe doll,

18" bisque head by ABG

Gladdie doll Copyriht By Helen W. Jensen Germany doll mark1929 Borgfeldt Gladdie doll, 18-24" tall, designed by Helen W. Jensen, doll shown is 22" tall, biscaloid (composition that looks like bisque) head with molded painted hair, blue glassene set eyes, open smiling mouth with upper teeth, cloth body with composition limbs.  Some doll markings are: Gladdie Copyriht By Helen W. Jensen Germany.

Borgfeldt 1929 Gladdie doll biscaloid head  by H. Jensen

1929 Gladdie doll, 22"

biscaloid head by Helen W. Jensen

1929 Borgfeldt Gladdie doll, 18-24" tall, designed by Helen W. Jensen, this is the bisque head version of Gladdie; bisque flange head with molded painted hair, glassene set eyes, open smiling mouth with upper teeth, cloth body with composition limbs. Bisque head doll mold 1410 by ABG.  Doll mark Gladdie.

Borgfeldt 1929 Gladdie doll bisque head by H. Jensen

1929 Gladdie doll, 18"

bisque doll head by Jensen

1931 Borgfeldt Babykins doll designed by Grace S. Putnam, 17" tall, bisque flange head with lightly painted molded hair, single stroke brows, painted upper and lower eyelashes, blue sleep eyes, very full closed mouth with prominent lips, cloth body arms and upper legs, composition hands and lower legs, doll mark Babykins Copr. by Grace S. Putnam Made in Germany 1435.  This is the hardest to find and a rare Grace S. Putnam doll.

 

ABG -  Alt, Beck Gottschalck is the likely supplier of doll mold 1435

1931 Babykins doll, 17" by Grace Putnam

1931 Babykins doll, 17" by Grace S. Putnam

 

Borgfeldt Doll Mold Numbers Identified

142, 170, 250, 251, 252, 253, 255, 310, 326, 327, 328, 329, 1228, 1362, 1369, 1373, 1386, 1391, 1394, 1402, 1403, 1405, 1407, 1409, 1410, 1418, 1435, 1923, 2918, 4541, 11173, 13765

 

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