Louis Amberg Dolls 1878+ USA

ca. 1909 Louis Amberg Chantecler, chicken doll 14″ tall,

The Louis Amberg company was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio USA in 1878 and later moved to New York City around 1893.  At some point Amberg opened a branch office in Sonneberg, Germany.  Amberg’s various partners or business names were; 1881-1890 Fecheimer & Amberg, 1890-1894 Louis Amberg & Company, 1894-1907 Louis Amberg, Brill & Company,1907-1910 Hahn & Amberg, 1911-1930 Louis Amberg & Son. 

Amberg first imported bisque head dolls from Germany and France, later they manufactured their own composition dolls.  In 1909 the Amberg company copyrighted the first known American composition head doll with a plush teddy bear body called “Lucky Bill”, with Louis Amberg listed as the artist.

By the late 1920s the Amberg company was advertising over 600 doll style numbers, including some imports. Amberg dolls are often marked L A & S or L A & S NY plus the year first produced.   In the 1920s Amberg was one of 50 members in the Doll & Stuffed Toy Manufacturers Association. In 1930 the Amberg company was sold to Horsman.

Antique Louis Amberg Dolls Identified

ca. 1909 Louis Amberg Chantecler, chicken doll 14″ tall, composition head set on a rooster plush jointed body, doll is unmarked. Chantecler was a popular card game at this time.  Chantecler is shown above.

1912-1913 Louis Amberg Curly Locks doll 15″ tall composition head with molded ringlet like curls, painted eyes, closed mouth, cloth body, composition hands, doll marked 574 © L. A. 1912.

1912 Louis Amberg Ma Chunk Herself doll 8″ tall, (an Oriental, Asian, Chinese character doll), all composition doll jointed only at the shoulders, black painted hair and facial features, closed mouth, dressed in tunic and pants, black painted shoes, doll is unmarked, has a paper label on tunic front; Ma Chunk Herself, L. A. & S. N.Y.

1914 Louis Amberg John Bunny doll 11-12″ tall, celebrity doll, composition flange head and arms, cloth body and legs, molded painted brown hair, painted blue eyes, open mouth with painted upper and lower teeth, black sewn on cloth shoes.  Portrait doll of famous first American silent film comedian John H. Bunny (1863 -1915).  Doll is unmarked or marked L. A. & S. 1914. 

ca. 1914 Amberg Nancy doll 7″ designed by Hazel Drukker, all bisque with blonde molded wavy hair with a blue bow, closed mouth, painted white socks with top blue band, brown shoes, doll marked Germany or unmarked.  The Nancy doll mold has been reproduced.

1914 Amberg Newborn Babe doll, Bottle Babe, My Playmate or Baby 4-13″ tall, bisque head, painted hair, sleep eyes, cloth body, some had a crier, head made by three different German companies:  Armand Marseille mold 371 with an open mouth, Recknagel mold 886 and Hermann Steiner.  Designed by doll artist and sculptor Jeno Juszko and was meant to look like a two day old baby.  Doll marked L. A. & S. 1914, G45520, Germany #4 – depending on bisque head maker 371, Theodor Recknagel 241 RA, 886, Hermann Steiner doll mold 240.

1915-1920 Louis Amberg Ambisc doll 13″ tall, ten different sizes, all composition jointed Character bent limb Baby dolls, molded hair or wigged, paijnted eyes, closed mouth, doll mark Ambisc.

1915 Louis Amberg Baby Glee doll 18 – 26″ tall, composition flange head, cloth stuffed body with stitched hips, partial composition lower arms and legs, molded lightly painted hair with a comma shaped curl on forehead, painted blue tin sleep eyes with painted upper wispy eyelashes, big open happy smiling mouth with two upper and lower teeth, doll is unmarked.  
 Designed by artist Jeno Juszko.

1915 Louis Amberg Boy doll 12″ tall composition flange neck head and hands, cloth body, legs and feet with disks at hips, molded hair, painted eyes, two cheeks dimples and a chin dimple, doll mark LA & S.

1915 Louis Amberg Charlie Chaplin doll 14″ tall celebrity portrait doll, 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, clothing contains a label; CHARLIE DOLL World’s Greatest Comedian Made Exclusively By Louis Amberg & Son, NY by Special Arrangement With Essanay Film Co.

1915 Louis Amberg Indian doll 14″ tall, composition head, molded painted hair, painted eyes, closed mouth, doll mark LA & S.

1915 Louis Amberg Little Nemo doll 13″ tall

1915 Louis Amberg Oo-Gug-Luk is 13″ tall Zulu Lucky doll named Oo-Gug-Luk and is the last doll Hungarian born New York artist, sculptor and medalist Jeno Juszko (b. 1880-1954) made for Amberg.  Juszko also designed dolls for Borgfeldt and F. A. Lapp. Uses the Charlie Chaplin head mold, cloth body painted all black with three white circles painted around eyes and closed painted red mouth, gold tone hoop earrings, shell necklace, dressed in faux white fur and a black fringe skirt, doll is rare and unmarked.

1915 Louis Amberg Pouty Pets doll, Real Live Children 12, 14, 16″ tall, boy dolls or girl dolls, composition flange head and lower arms, cloth stuffed inside disk jointed body, bent or straight legs, deeply sculpted molded then painted hair in various short hair styles, painted side glancing eyes, pouty closed mouth, doll marks 387, 494, L A & S © 1915 and possibly others. 

Similar to the bisque heads by Gebrüder Heubach and a competitor of Effanbee’s composition Grumpy dolls.

Louis Amberg dolls 1916+ | 1923+

Louis Amberg Doll Mold Numbers Identified

1, 2, 4, 12, 40, 41, 42, 43, 43/1, 107, 108, 110, 241, 247, 387, 414, 494, 574, 618, 784, 886.2, 972, 973, 982, 983, 44520, 1269056.

Additional Antique Amberg dolls not shown

ca. 1903 Louis Amberg Mama or Papa dolls, bisque head, glass sleep eyes, closed watermelon smiling mouth, human or mohair wig, ball jointed body, voice box, dolls were imported, the faces are similar to early Campbell Kids dolls.

ca. 1909 Louis Amberg 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. Amberg also sold Teddy Bears and Teddy Dolls.
 
ca. 1909 Louis Amberg Rompers doll or Sambo doll 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 baby doll Sambo was featured wearing a straw hat.

1909 Amberg Louis Sunny Jim doll 11″ tall composition flared head with a light blue plush body and limbs jointed at the shoulders and hips, light brown painted hair with no molding, blue painted eyes, open mouth with molded tongue, Horsman Billikin competitor, doll is unmarked.

1910 Amberg Louis Baby Beautiful doll, 18 or 23″ tall white or black doll, cloth body, open mouth, unbreakable and positively washable, came dressed in a christening gown with bonnet. There were 75 style models of Baby Beautiful designed by various artists and sculptors including; Jeno Juszko and Grace G. Drayton.
 
1910 Amberg Baby Blue doll, 12″ tall composition Girls head with blue eyes and blue velvet cloth body, also available in 1913-1914.

1910 Amberg Louis Dorothy Dainty doll, unsure all the sizes, composition head and arms, cloth stuffed body, molded painted hair with hair loop for bow, blue painted side glancing eyes, open mouth with four upper teeth, doll marked L. A. & S. 414 1910.
 
1910 Louis Amberg Swat Mulligan-Mascot doll 11 or 21″ tall, composition head with cloth body and limbs, open mouth, wore a long sleeved shirt that buttoned down the front, pants, baseball cap, bat and ball. “The Cute Baseball Kid”.

1911 Louis Amberg Baby Bright Eyes doll, size unknown, young baby doll with big eyes, forehead and cheeks and Laughing Boy doll, size unknown, laughing face with open mouth and teeth, both dolls designed by doll artist Jeno Juszko.
 
1911 Louis Amberg Bobby Blake doll, Amberg Dolly Drake doll 8″ tall Campbell kid type, composition head and hands with molded hair and painted features, cloth limbs with sewn on cloth shoes and straw stuffed body. Designed by Grace G. Drayton Wiedersum. These dolls must have had their copy cats as the 1911 Plaything ad states: Amberg 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 trademark rights”.  Both dolls are unmarked, may have an ink stamp on body of Copyright 1911, by Louis Amberg & Son NY., Sole Makers.
 
1911 Amberg Louis Little Sister doll 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.
 
1911 Louis Amberg Sassy Sue doll 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, doll is unmarked.
 
1912 Louis Amberg 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 and legs with pin and disk joints, doll marked © L A & S 1912.
 
1912-1914 Louis Amberg Laughing Marietta doll 12″ tall, composition head and hands, cloth stuffed body, molded ribbons in hair, similar to the Naughty Marietta doll.
 
1912 Louis Amberg Multi-Face doll 12″ tall, composition socket head, jointed baby body with bent leg limbs, two faces; one laughing face with cheek dimples, open mouth and two upper teeth and tongue, one crying face no dimples, sad down turned open mouth, molded painted hair, painted eyes, prominent ears, doll is unmarked. Head mold is a copy of Kley & Hahn multi-face two faced doll mold 159.
 
1912 Louis Amberg Sis Hopkins doll 14″ tall, celebrity doll, molded painted bisc like composition head, cloth body, arms and 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 and white stockings with black boots that are part of the leg casing, doll is unmarked. Designed and sculpted by doll artist Jeno Juszko. 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 1920s. Note: Georgene Averill also made a Sis Hopkins doll that is marked: G. G. Drayton © or Sis Hopkins.
 
1912-1913 Louis Amberg Yankee Doodle doll 15″ tall, “Bisc” like finish, composition head and hands, molded painted hair, open mouth, stubby nose, comical facial expression, cloth stuffed body, dressed in stars and stripes, companion doll to Hail Columbia. Designed by Jeno Juszko.

1913 Louis Amberg Agustus Carney doll 11″ tall, composition flange head and short arms, cloth body, upper arms and legs and black fabric feet, jointed at the shoulders and hips, molded yellow painted hair, painted blue eyes, painted open mouth with eight upper painted teeth, came wearing a denimun long sleeve shirt, fabric and plush riding chap pants with belt and fabric gun holder and bandanna scarf, doll marked L.A. & S.  Augustus Carney as film character Alkali Ike, doll sold my Essanay Film Manufacturer Company of Chicago.

1913 Louis Amberg The Wonder Baby doll composition head and hands with a bisc like finish, molded painted hair, painted eyes, straw stuffed body and legs.

Louis Amberg dolls 1878+ | 1916+ | 1923+