Moments in Black Doll History - Effanbee Dolls

The Effanbee Doll Company* was founded by two businessmen who were first neighbors and friends in Atlantic City, New Jersey--Bernard E. Fleischaker and Hugo Baum.  After forming their doll company, its trademark name became EFF (for the "F" in Fleischaker) and BEE (for Baum)--Effanbee.   Their motto became, "Dolls that Touch Your Heart." Like Horsman dolls and a few other companies that will be mentioned in subsequent posts, Effanbee dolls incorporated dark skinned dolls into their lines shortly after the company's inception in 1912. 

Initially this blog was to be devoted to Marilee (1924), pictured above, standing, with Sweetie Pie (1930s), but other early black dolls by Effanbee deserve recognition. 

Snowball a.k.a. Black Grumpy and Patsykin/Patsy Jr. date back to years 1913 and 1930, respectively.  Both are of composition construct; however, Snowball's composition is limited to the head.  The body is cloth with red circular striped cloth legs (covered by the doll's pink polka dot romper).  Patsy dolls were very popular during the first quarter of the 19th Century so much so that several other manufacturers made Patsy look-a-like dolls, mostly in white, but black Patsy look-a-likes can still be found today.  Effanbee has produced several modern versions of black Patsy dolls as well.

Marilee and Sweetie Pie are less common finds than the well-documented Black Grumpy and black Patsy dolls by Effanbee.  Both dolls were eBay finds.  Marilee was a basket case.  She arrived as an incomplete restoration without pupils.  It is uncertain if her lamb's wool wig is original or if black Marilees had a different style wig.  The white ones did.  I completed the restoration, intentionally giving her fuller lips, and I added synthetic, brown pupils, which replace the doll's original brown, tin pupils.  She was my first composition restoration. 

Sweetie Pie was described by the seller as having been stored in an attic along with her white counterpart.  The white doll was in extreme preloved condition while Sweetie Pie was near mint.  My best guess is the prior owner of the two dolls played with the white version more.  After her doll-play years concluded, the dolls were stored together, possibly along with others, in the attic of her childhood home.  The dolls were later sold together at an estate sale with the eventual auction of my doll on eBay.  I recall there being a bidding war at the end of the auction, but I was determined to win Sweetie Pie. 

*The Effanbee Doll Company is now owned by Robert Tonner and maintains the original motto:  "Dolls that Touch Your Heart."

Horsman's Black Baby Bumps

Horsman's Black Baby Bumps, 1910

images courtesy of eBay seller:  bloodhound*usa

Baby Bumps by E. I. Horsman dates back to 1910.  With the exception of color, the black version is identical to the white doll, which was marketed as an "Art Doll" or character doll fashioned after a real child.  Constructed with a flange composition head and velvet body with jointed limbs, the doll was one of Horsman's "Can't Break-Em" dolls.  (Supposedly composition dolls would not break.) Thus the name "Baby Bumps."

According to Collector's Guide to Horsman Dolls Identification and Values 1865-1950 by Don Jenson (Collector Books, 2002):

...Baby Bumps became Horsman's second successful unbreakable composition doll [after Billiken] and its first real character baby, the result of E.I. Horsman Jr.'s decision to shun the old fashioned "angel-faced" doll in favor of those modeled after real children....

...At first, Baby Bumps had a pink velvet body, stuffed with ground cork, and paw-like hands.  Later versions had sateen or muslin bodies and jointed sateen arms and legs.  From 1911, some versions had composition hands.  While most were white, a doll Horsman advertised as Colored Baby Bumps was sold" [as illustrated in the images above, including the velvet or plush body and paw hands].

Horsman was a forerunner in the manufacture of black dolls in the US.  Other early black dolls by Horsman include, a variety of black Babyland rag dolls including a Topsy-Turvy Babyland Rag Doll with two lithographed faces depicting characters, Eva and Topsy, from Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Bingo, Cotton Joe, Sambo, and Topsy were additional "Can't Break-Em" composition dolls manufactured between 1910 and 1914.  Black Dimples, a 13-1/2 inch composition baby with trademark facial dimples was manufactured in the 1920s as was Black Peterkins, a 13-1/2 inch girl, circa 1929.  Patsy look-a-likes appeared in the 1930s, and in the 1940s, a 21-inch, all-composition doll, Rosebud.  Of course there were others. 

Essentially, with the exception of Bingo, Cotton Joe, and Topsy, and later in the 1950s (Pete and his twin sister Polly), Horman dolls were usually dark skinned versions of their white counterparts, but black dolls nonetheless.

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Moments In Black Doll History - Leo Moss Doll Image

Left 18-1/2” Callie with papier mache head, recycled cloth body with composition arms/legs tinted to match the head; 21” Buzzy - papier mache head on recycled composition arms/legs and cotton body tinted to match the coloring of the head. Sitting is Grace Mae Lavett, 20” with papier mache head with brown glass eyes and tears on her cheeks, recycled cloth body and legs with composition arms tinted to match the head.

With permission from Steva Roark Allgood, Lisa Ambrose of Antique Doll  Collector Magazine (ADCM),  shared the above Leo Moss doll grouping with me.  The image appeared in the June 2009 issue of ADCM in the article, "Reflections on Collecting," written by Ms. Allgood, the owner of these extremely rare, one-of-a-kind Leo Moss dolls. 

Thanks again Steva and Lisa!

An in-depth article on Leo Moss dolls resulting from months of research can be read here.

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