I love how one impressed mark can unlock a doll’s history. This 22-inch baby is marked “Armand Marseille / A 975 M / Germany / 12,” identifying the bisque socket head as mold 975. The “12” is a factory size number, not a date.
And she is so cute! Her chubby cheeks, wide brown eyes, two tiny teeth, and softly molded double chin give her an especially sweet expression.
Her face features brown stationary glass eyes, finely painted lashes and brows, rosy cheeks, and an open mouth with two upper teeth. Other examples of mold 975 have sleep eyes, so her eyes may have been repaired, replaced, or permanently secured at some point. Without examining the interior mechanism, I cannot confirm which alteration occurred.
The bisque head rests on a jointed composition baby body. Light crazing and wear on the painted composition show how differently the body aged from the unglazed porcelain head.
Armand Marseille operated in Köppelsdorf, near Sonneberg in Thuringia, Germany—a major center of doll and toy production. Marseille began making porcelain doll heads in 1885 and became one of the industry’s largest suppliers. The company often supplied heads to other firms instead of making complete bodies.
Mold 975 appeared in several sizes and body configurations. A documented A 975 M example dated 1922 was made by Armand Marseille for Otto Gans.
That evidence places this doll’s design in the early 1920s, although the exact production year and repair history of this example remain unknown.
