Louis Amberg & Son Dolls 1923+ USA

1928 Louis Amberg It, Peggy, Sue body twist doll 14″ tall

The Louis Amberg company was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio USA in 1878 and later moved to New York City around 1893.  Amberg was also known as (1911-1930) Louis Amberg & Son. 

By the late 1920s the Amberg company was advertising over 600 doll style numbers, including some doll 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 & Son Dolls Identified 1923+

1923 Amberg Baby Peggy doll, the Nations Darling, 20″ tall, celebrity doll, either composition and wood or kid jointed body, composition head with molded brown hair, some may have a brown mohair wig as well, glass eyes, open smiling mouth with white painted teeth, doll is unmarked.

1924 Amberg Baby Peggy doll, the Nations Darling, 18″ tall, celebrity doll, bisque head made by Armand Marseille doll mold 972 or 973 are socket heads or doll molds 982 or 983 are shoulder heads. Jointed composition body, brown mohair wig, glass eyes with lashes, smiling mouth, doll mark L. A. & S. 19©24 NY + mold number.  Doll shown is Marseille’s bisque socket head doll mold 972.

Peggy Jean Montgomery, known as Baby Peggy, a child actress was born on 26 Oct 1918, after her acting career Ms. Montgomery became a book author under the pseudonym name of Diana Serra Cary and passed away on 23 FEB 2020.

1924 Amberg Sunny Orange Maid doll or Sunny Orange Blossom doll,14″ tall, composition shoulder head with molded orange peel cap, arms & partial legs, cloth body with stitched shoulder & hips, squeaker in body, short arms, painted blue eyes and painted upper lashes, closed mouth, shown dressed in her original orange dress with short jacket, orange ribbon sash; SUNNY ORANGE MAID, Copr. LOUIS AMBERG & SON 1924, ?? PATENTED, doll marked  L. A. & S. 1924.

ca. 1925 Amberg Baby Tufums doll, tiny sizes, all bisque doll with bent limbs, Bye-Lo or New Born Babe type, very light painted hair, painted eyes, open mouth, jointed at the neck, shoulders and hips, has two bent arms and each hand is cupped to; left hand holds a baby bottle and the right hand to suck their thumb, doll marked on back LA & S Baby Tufums 107, 110 or 618 Germany.

1926 Amberg Charleston Toddlers dolls 11″ tall, all composition black or white dolls, painted side glancing eyes, wigged, painted molded shoes, doll marked or labeled Charleston Toddlers an Amberg specialty trademarked 1926 Germany.

1927+ Amberg Vanta Baby doll bisque head 20-22″ tall or composition head 16-20″ tall, composition and cloth body, molded painted hair, sleep eyes, open mouth with teeth. doll usually marked Vanta Baby Amberg.

1928 Amberg Amfelt cloth dolls, fourteen doll styles, various sizes, washable faces, cloth bodies jointed at neck shoulders and hips, single strap shoes, imported the unmarked dolls from Paris, France to compete with Lenci and others of this era, dolls came with a paper hang tag identifying them.

1928 Amberg It or Sue doll with a body twist waist, 14″ tall, all composition with an extra ball and socket twist waist body, slight frowning expression, short molded waved hair with side sweeping bangs, painted eyes, closed pouty mouth, jointed body. Dolls maybe marked Amberg Pat. Pend. L. A. & S. © 1928. This doll mold was also sold by Horsman as their Peggy doll.

Louis Amberg all composition Body Twist dolls; have an extra ball and socket twist waist body, several dolls came with this feature; Edwina doll, IT doll (supposedly referring to actress Clara Bow), Peter Pan doll, Teenie Weenies doll or Tiny Tots dolls. 

1928 Amberg Teenie Weenie dolls 8″ or Amberg Tiny Tots dolls 14″ tall, boy or girl dolls, all composition, body twist waist and jointed only at the shoulders, stationary legs with black painted shoes, slightly bent left arm, molded painted hair; the boy with “Justin Bieber” style hair, with bangs and hair combed straight down towards the face, the girl has a short bob with slight center part bangs and waves over her ears, usually with brown painted side glancing eyes, both have closed mouths, doll marked  L. A. & S. © 1928.

Had a paper hangtag; Amberg, The Teenie Weenies, Weenies Line, Trademark Reg., The Golden Anniversary.

Amberg Body Twist dolls 13″ tall, boy or girl dolls, all composition, body twist waist and jointed only at the shoulders, stationary legs with black painted shoes, slightly bent left arm, molded painted hair; The 13″ size Tiny Tots dolls or Teenie Weenie dolls came on toddler jointed bodies. The 1912 version of Tiny Tots dolls at 12″ tall, have a different face mold, flange composition heads with open smiling watermelon mouth, composition hands and cloth bodies, doll mark © L. A. & S. 1912.

1928 Amberg Peter Pan doll, 14″ tall, all composition, molded painted brown orange hair in a short Dutch boy straight hair with bangs, painted brown eyes, smokey eye shadow, closed painted mouth, jointed at the neck, shoulders, body twist waist and hips, came wearing a brown fabric short tunic dress with larger fringe at neck and hemline, socks and brown oilcloth shoes with bow amd metal, doll mark Amberg, Pat. Pend., L.A. & S. © 1928 and cloth clothing tag; An Amberg Doll With A Body Twist all, all it’s own! Pat. Pend. SFR No. 320,016.

1929 Amberg Little Amby doll, 13″ tall, all composition jointed toddler body, molded painted hair, brown painted eyes, open or closed mouth, doll marked Amberg  L. A. & S © Co.  Companion to the Tiny Tots or Teenie Weenie dolls.

Louis Amberg dolls 1878+ | 1916+ | 1923+

Additional Antique Amberg dolls not shown

1924 Amberg Anniversary Baby doll, Mama doll, composition head and legs, cloth stuffed body and arms, sleep eyes.

ca. 1928 Amberg Baby Nod doll, bisque flange neck joint head, cloth body, composition hands, glass eyes, closed mouth, doll marked Baby Nod, LA & S NY, Germany, JGODI 2309/4 DRGM (bisque head by J.G. Dietrich – Jgodi, made by Ernst Heubach), this is a Bye-Lo Baby doll look a like.