Armand Marseille Dolls: We’ve got your numbers, 370 and 390
Armand Marseille made dolls from around 1865- 1925 and
beyond, in
For many of us, the first antique doll we add to our collection is an Armand Marseille. Mine is small, about 8 inches, and is named “Melinda” and she joined the doll family when I was 11. She was dressed as a Dutch boy in Vollendam attire, with a short, puffy brown mohair wig with a center part, almost black glass, stationary eyes, and an open mouth with tiny teeth. One ankle needed repairing. She was a painted bisque doll, which means the paint was applied to the bisque after it was fired, not fired into the bisque as most antique bisque dolls are made.
My mother went back to the Antique Show where we first saw Melinda, and brought her home. We undressed her, and discovered her five piece, “stick” papier mache body. Mom glued her foot, and repaired the paint job with—calamine lotion! She still bears that paint job! A little spot on her chin Mom touched up with her own make up.
Since that day, Melinda has been dressed as a little girl. She wears tiny ballet flats on her feet, and a lace, pale blue dress and white straw hat. I wouldn’t trade her for anything.
Because of Melinda, A & M dolls have become personal favorites. Alma, Floradora, Rosebud, the beautiful 1894, a large, rare sized Dream Baby, Mabel, a Gypsy, several Native American dolls and a Scots girl have joined us.
One very large 370 came to me from a friend. She is mint, and has never been played with. She has sleeping blue eyes, wears an antique green velvet dress, and her original, blond mohair wig.
Another mint 390 head is as perfect as a
When I taught classes in diversity and culture, I mentioned Armand Marseille.
As many of us know, Armand Marseille, founder of the firm,
was born in the mid 19th c in
In 1884, Marseille bought a toy factory in
The popular 370 head was made as a shoulder head for a kid or similar body, while the 390 head was a socket head made for ball jointed composition bodies. The dolls had glass eyes, often sleep eyes, mohair wigs, and an open mouth with teeth. They are the iconic “dolly faced’ dolls that often appear as propos in movies.
Many collectors could have an A&M doll and not know it.
He made doll heads for other companies, including
Many of the burned doll heads found in old dumps, or buried
with bottles, were
To many collectors, the A&M 370 or 390 heads are “gateway dolls” to the world of antiques. For more and more collectors, though, these lovely dolls are a “destination” doll, worthy of being in any fine collection
