Max Oscar Arnold Bisque Dolls 1877+ or Welsch & Company Dolls 1911+ German

The Max Oscar Arnold Porzellanfabrik (Porcelain Factory) was located in Neustadt, Germany and operated from 1877 to 1931 when they were sold to Philipp Rosenthal. Max Oscar Arnold is best known for their mechanical Talking and Walking phonograph dolls.  About 1909 Arnold began making bisque head phonograph dolls called Arnoldia, that spoke three languages English, French and German.  Each doll had a phonograph inside the composition body that played records and were advertised to teach children language lessons.

1909 Max Oscar Arnold Arnoldia Doll 32″ tall, bisque socket head on composition and wood body with a phonograph inside, mohair wig, sleep eyes, painted lashes, open mouth with upper teeth, some dolls marked Arnoldia 54 / 14.

Max Oscar Arnold Dolly face dolls are 15 – 28″ tall, bisque shoulder head on kid body, wigged, glass eyes, painted lashes, open mouth with upper teeth, dolls are marked as shown below. 

Max Oscar Arnold bought bisque heads from JDK Kestner, as noted by the inscribed Kestner symbol on doll mold 54. Arnold made bisque doll heads for Welsh & Company marked with the name Welsh and marked W & C for Wiefel & Company.  In 1919 Max Oscar Arnold company purchased the Gebrüder Knoch doll Company.

Max Oscar Arnold Doll Marks Identified

Max Oscar Arnold Doll Mold Numbers Identified

54   130   11510

Welsch & Company Doll & Toy Factory 1911+ German

A brief history of Welsch & Company, it was founded by Ferdinand Welsch and Otto Muhlhauser in 1911 in Sonneberg, Germany. The Welsch & Company bisque head dolls we have found have the Max Oscar Arnold doll mark MOA and Welsch in the doll mark and are considered Welsch & Company dolls or Simon & Halbig Welsch doll mark.

In 1917 Welsch & Company became part of the Bing – Concentra conglomerate.

shown ca. 1920 Welsch & Company doll mold 200 dolly face doll 32″, bisque socket head, sleep eyes, open mouth with teeth, dimple in chin, on a composition jointed body, doll mark MOA 200 Made in Germany Welsch.

Welsch & Company Doll Marks Identified

Welsch & Company Doll Mold Numbers Identified

150   200  201   250