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ca. 1930s Horsman Art doll 18" face
1940s Horsman Art doll |
Edward
Imeson Horsman
(E. I. Horsman) opened a toy company in New York city, NY USA (1865-present) and became
a leader in the toy industry.
In 1930 the Horsman company
acquired the Louis Amberg & Son doll company, their competitor and
continued to produce some of Amberg's dolls notably the Vanta Baby. In
October 1933 Horsman was purchased and became a subsidiary of the
Regal
Doll Manufacturing Company.
By the 1980s the Horsman name
was sold to an Asian company which produced dolls under the name Horsman
Ltd., that are today made in Hong Hong, China. |
Vintage 1930-1940s Horsman Dolls
Identified
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1930s Horsman Rosebud Doll, various sizes to 20"
tall, composition swivel shoulder plate head, jointed at
the shoulder, with tied on legs, cloth stuffed body with crier,
sleep eyes, open mouth with four upper teeth, dimples, mohair wig, doll mark Rosebud or unmarked, had a paper hang tag with it's name.
The Rosebud marked head mold was used on other Horsman unnamed dolls, too.
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1930s
Rosebud Doll, 20" |
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1931
Horsman Babs 12", Sue 14", Jane 17-18" and Nan
dolls
20" tall, Horsman's Patsy type competitor; all composition,
jointed bodies, molded painted hair, painted or sleep eyes, closed
painted mouth, all dolls are unmarked. These are Horsman's
Patsy type competitors and replaced the Peggy
dolls. Sue at 14" may have a body twist waist.
When identifying the Patsy look a likes,
try to match the molded hair curls and hair style.
Shown on left is a painted eye Babs, 11"
and on right is look a like Sue 14", also with painted eyes, wonder why they didn't mark these dolls, as
most of Horsman dolls were marked.
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1931 Horsman Sue look a like doll, 14"
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1931
Horsman Baby Buttercup doll,
12", 16-22" tall, first dolls have a composition
head (molded hair) and limbs with cloth baby body, in 1932
Buttercup's head was replaced by hard rubber so it became an all rubber doll,
came dressed in a lovely sheer dress with matching bonnet,
doll mark E.I.H. Co., H
© C. or H c Co. Photo courtesy of Flozdolz.
1938 Horsman Baby Buttercup doll, 11", all rubber
fully jointed baby doll with dark painted molded hair, brown sleep eyes, open
mouth. Doll mark © Horsman. Face mold looks similar to the
Sister and Whatsit dolls with an open mouth.
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1931
Baby Buttercup doll, 12"
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1937
Horsman Jo Jo doll, 12" tall, all composition, came as both a boy or girl
doll,
who has molded hair underneath her mohair wig, Jo Jo has a long
mohair wig in blond or brunette pigtails, closed rosebud mouth, blue painted or tin sleep
eyes, doll mark Jo-Jo ©
1937 Horsman. Shown wearing original clothing.
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1937
Jo Jo doll, 12" |
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1937 Horsman Whatsit Dolls,
dolls are 14 or 16" tall, all composition with molded
hair, right arm is bent (like Patsy) came dressed in a cotton
dress with leather shoes; Jeanie doll has molded hair with a
small topknot, tin eyes, mama crier, Naughty Sue doll with a
topknot molded hair, Roberta doll with brown molded hair in
braids curled into a bun over each ear, Winee doll with molded hair. Dolls are
marked with their Name © 1937 Horsman.
© Jeanie Horsman doll mark shown, does not have the 1937 in the marking.
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1937
Horsman Whatsit Jeanie doll |
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1937 Horsman Brother doll, 21"
tall and Horsman Sister doll, 23" tall, both have composition head
and limbs, tin sleep eyes, molded hair, she with a small
topknot, cloth body. Both have comical faces with small puckered
closed mouth, hers more so than his, doll mark Brother
or Sister © 1937 Horsman.
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1937
Sister doll 23" |
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1938
Horsman Sweetheart doll, A
Horsman Art Doll, 21, 24 or 28" tall, all composition with
hard rubber unbreakable arms, slender jointed body, brown mohair wig, green
sleep eyes, open mouth with six upper teeth. Horsman Sweetheart dolls
are unmarked.
The Horsman ad reads "A
true reproduction of girls between the ages of 10 and 16, they
are dressed in the latest fashions, sculpted by the famous sculptor
Ernesto Peruggi".
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1938
Sweetheart doll, 21" A
Horsman Art Doll
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1939+ Horsman Baby Precious doll, 18-23" tall,
Mama type doll, composition
flange head and composition wired on partial or full arms & upper
legs, stuffed cloth body with stitched hip joints, some dolls have a mohair wig
over molded hair, sleep eyes, closed mouth or an open mouth with two upper
teeth and felt tongue, doll marked A Horsman Doll or most often
unmarked.
Same doll with molded hair head mold was sold by
Madame Alexander, doll mark Alexander
1950s+ Horsman Baby Precious doll also produced in
hard plastic, white or black doll.
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1939 Baby
Precious doll 19"
Photo courtesy of Missycola |
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1939-1940s
Horsman Gold Medal
dolls, 13-18" tall, all composition, some have slim
child bodies others are chubbier toddlers, sleep eyes, closed mouth, some dolls came with a tag
that said "Gold Medal Doll" doll mark HORSMAN or
unmarked with a hangtag. |
1939+ Gold Medal Doll 18" |
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1939+ Horsman Gold
Medal
Baby doll, 16-24" tall (probably other sizes too), composition
flange head, arms & lower legs with cloth stuffed body or all
composition jointed body, molded painted hair beneath wig, sleep
eyes, open mouth with two upper teeth, doll mark unmarked or
A Horsman Doll. |
1939+ Gold
Medal Baby doll, 21" |
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1940s Horsman Enchanting Eyes doll, 15-16"
tall (probably other sizes as well), composition flange head, full
or partial composition arms or legs, cloth stuffed body, brown
painted molded hair, flirty sleep eyes that also move side to side
(some have been found with non-flirty sleep eyes too), closed
mouth, doll marked A Horsman Doll.
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1940s Enchanting Eyes doll, 15"
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ca.
1940s Horsman Art Doll, 11" tall, all composition, molded
painted hair, painted side glancing eyes, open mouth, composition
jointed body, wearing original clothing bonnet & shoes.
Unknown how marked. Box states A Horsman Art Doll, # 4391,
doll probably had a hangtag as well. |
ca. 1940s Horsman Art Doll,
11" |
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1942
Horsman Bright Star doll,
12-21" tall, all composition jointed dolls, braided pigtail or
ringlet curled wigs, several different head molds were used that are all Bright Star dolls,
with sleep eyes, open mouth, dolls are unmarked.
From a 1942
Butler Brothers catalog are the following Bright Star doll names with pigtail wigs; 15"
Betty, 18" Honey, 21" Judy, with Ringlet curls wigs 15" Carol, 18" Patty,
21" Jean. |
1942 Bright Star Judy doll 21" |
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1946 Horsman Betty Bedtime doll,
18" tall, cloth body, composition head (with either molded
hair or wigged hair) lower arms and
legs, doll unmarked. Came in a box that converted into a bed for the doll to
sleep on, wore
a white dress with open eyelet weave, trimmed with ribbon,
matching bonnet, socks and shoes.
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1946
Betty Bedtime doll, 18" |
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1949 Horsman Squalling Baby doll, 19" tall, soft vinyl head and limbs (vinyl
forearms, hands and legs to just above the knees), cloth
body, molded hair, painted blue squinting eyes, red angry painted
cheeks, wide open mouth - like it's crying or "squalling",
sometimes doll marked Corp.
Lastic Plastic 49.
1949 Horsman Squalling Baby doll, 16" tall, like the
doll above with slight changes - only head,
hands and feet are vinyl, rest is cloth, this one is a squeaker, crier,
doll is unmarked, same squalling face. Note:
not everyone agrees that either Squalling Baby doll was made by Horsman.
Ideal and
Fleischaker Novelty also made this type of squalling baby dolls.
Georgene Averill has an earlier
composition and cloth Baby Yawn doll ca. 1930s, who has a yawning
face with closed eyes and open mouth.
In the 1980s Horsman reissued Squalling Baby
doll.
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1949 Squalling Baby doll 19"
1949 Horsman Squalling Baby doll 16" |
related horsman dolls 1904-1920s 1950s
1960-1970s
Horsman Doll Resources:
Collectors Guide to Horsman Dolls 1865-1950; Identification & Values
book in 2002 by Don Jensen,
Collector’s Encyclopedia of American Composition Dolls 1900-1950 books
vol. I in 1999, vol. II in 2004 both by Ursula R. Mertz,
Composition Dolls books,
vol. I (1928-1955) in 1991, vol. II (1909-1928) in 1994 both by Pam and
Polly Judd and continued research across the Internet since 1999 which we
share with you.
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