The Horseman Doll The Early Years: Circa 1870-1925
Posted: Saturday, April 10, 2010
by Lawanna Beam
Bean's Things
This is the first of a series on Vintage and Antique Dolls
The Early Dolls Years: Circa 1870-1918
Horseman Dolls, Inc., formerly the E.I. Horseman Doll c Company, Inc., is one of the oldest doll manufacturers. It was founded in New York during the Mid-Nineteenth century, circa 1865 by Mr. Edward Iseman Horseman.
Bisque DollsThe Teddy Bear
Also, a line of stuffed bears were named after President Theodore Roosevelt. The story goes that nearly 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt, went on a bear hunt. He enjoyed nature and being out in the woods where animals lived. Because he was the President of the United States, the people organizing the hunt wanted to make sure the hunt was successful. But after 3 days of walking and climbing and riding, no bears were found. Now what? The President's bear hunt would be a failure!
Teddy Babyland
The next day the hunt guide and his hunting dogs finally found an old bear. The dogs and guide followed the bear for quite a distance until the bear was very, very tired. The dogs attacked and injured the old bear. The guides tied the bear to a tree and called for the President. Here was a bear for him to shoot!
President Roosevelt took one look at the poor old bear and said "no!" No one would shoot this old bear for sport. That would not be right. However, the bear was injured and suffering. President Roosevelt ordered the bear be put down to end its pain.
The first of a long line of creative beautiful and interesting dolls was the Rag Doll, called "Babyland". The company continued to asemble the bisque-had, cloth-body dolls and the rag dolls, along with the Teddy Bears. With these three products, E.I. Horseman Company became one of the leaders and trend-setters in the doll industry.
The Billiken Doll 1900
Billiken Doll 
By 1900, American was ready for some new ideas. So Horseman created a doll called a "grotesque" doll, called Billiken.The plushie above had a "can't break em" head attached to a stuffed body. This doll was one of the first copyrighted dolls in America. The belief was that it could bring he owner good luck. Radiator caps were fashioned in the shape of Billiken and he was considered to be a protector of the automobile. Billiken was followed by a "Sister Billiken" which was considered to be cute, but public acceptance was poor.
In 1914, in World War I, the doll industry suffered quite a few setbacks. Horseman could no longer import parts from Germany. American potters tried to fill the gap with their version, but nothing ever took off.
Between 1918 and 1925 the Fulper Pottery Company obtained heads from the Armand Marseille Company of Germany. Bisque head dolls remained popular for a short time after the art was perfected in this country. But by the mid to late 1920s, the bisque head dolls were no longer in vogue.
The By-Lo Baby and Kewpie Doll 1900
By-Lo Doll Baby Bumps
Du ring the early 1900s, many doll companies began to produce cute and lovable dolls. The By-Lo Baby and the Kewpie are examples of these dolls. E.I. Horseman produced the Campbell Kids and Baby Bumps, circa 1911. Baby Bumps is said to have been modeled after a "live" baby model. The practice of employing artists to fashion dolls became popular during this time. Many of these special dolls were called "Art Dolls" and were constructed of composition.
In 1911, a special type of composition doll called "Can't Break 'Em Heads was marketed. They also marketed another new material called "Adtocolite." This new material was light in weight, smooth and very tough. Adtocolite allowed the dolls to stand alone and may have had Fulper-made bisque heads. The "Peterkin" doll, circa 1920, was one of the first all-Adtocolite dolls.
Horseman and Aetna Doll Company 1911-1925
It appears that the Horseman-Aetna consolidation was between 1918 and 1925. In fact, when Aetna produced some the the Horseman dolls, the Aetna mark was also added. So if you find a doll with the Aetna mark on it, it is safe to assume it was made between 1911 and 1925. Also, when Horseman bought doll heads from the Armand Marseille Doll Company, the A.M.mark was on the doll part, along with a long blank oval space ( ) for the other company to insert their company initials.
By the 1920s, most of the dolls being produced in the US were made of composition. Composition is a catchall term that describes a variety of materials used to make dolls. Composition material cold include wood pulp, sawdust, old gloves, rags, etc., mixed with glue. Each doll maker had a secret composition formula. Many of these dolls were advertised through both Sears and Montgomery-Ward mail order catalogues. It is estimated that E.I. Horseman produced between four and six thousand dolls a day. These dolls were of a wide variety and high quality. The most popular were the Character dolls and the celebrity dolls, such as, "Baby Darling" (1915-1920) and the "Coogan Doll" in 1920.
Jackie Coogan
I will be publishing a series of articles on Vintage and Antique Dolls. Email me at beansdolls@yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments. I have tons of doll books so if you have a doll and don't know who she is, feel free to email me and I will be glad to research her for you.
About Me Lawanna Bean is a new writer with Searchwarp.com. She is retired and now has time to pursue her hobbies. Velvet, her cat, is her constant companion. Her hobbies are collecting dolls, reading, cooking and gardening. Check out her new web site at www.rainorshinecanopy.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I am trying to research a Horseman doll that is 22" vinyl with molded hair. There is a number on her bottom 26JR1968 with a "C" in a circle. Have you any clues about his doll? judy@bobletch.com
PS I can send pictures.
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