Antique GRACE PUTNAM BYE-LO BABY DOLL-BISQUE-20 10-LABEL-Made in Germany-4"

Description: Antique GRACE PUTNAM BYE-LO BABY DOLL-BISQUE-20 10-LABEL-Made in Germany-4" This sweet little Bye-Lo baby by Grace Putnam is must have for any antique doll collector! Made of bisque and coming in at a "whopping" 4 inches in length, this tiny cutie is literally only a handful. The history of the Grace Putnam and the doll is fascinating: The Bye-Lo baby doll came on the market in 1922 and was a revolution in the doll-making world. It was the first doll to look like an actual infant. Before the Bye-Lo baby, most dolls looked like adolescent girls or young women. Those that were baby dolls were highly stylized versions of actual babies.The Bye-Lo baby was sculpted by Grace Storey Putnam, who now is one of the most well-known American doll designers. From age 8, Putnam knew she wanted to be an artist. She studied art at a school in San Diego operated by Maud McMullan. It was there she met the sculptor Arthur Putnam, and they married in 1899.The couple moved to San Francisco, where Arthur pursued his career while Grace stayed home to raise their children. After 16 years of marriage, the couple divorced and Grace found herself having to support herself and her children.To do this, she taught drawing and painting and sculpted dolls. It was during a visit to a Salvation Army day nursery in Los Angeles that she got the idea for the Bye-Lo baby. During her visit she saw a sleeping, 3-day-old girl and was inspired to create a life-like baby doll.Using the infant as a model, she quickly sculpted the child’s likeness in clay while the girl slept. She paid close attention to the details of the child’s features because she wanted doll to look as real as possible, not like the “prettier” baby dolls of the day.Putnam worked with the New York-based manufacturer George Borgfeldt and Co., and others, to mass-produce the dolls. This worked to her advantage because Borgfeldt was known for producing dolls, such as Rose O’Neill’s Kewpie dolls.The first Bye-Lo babies had heads made of bisque. Most of the dolls had painted hair, with the exception of the smallest dolls. The size of the doll determined the composition of the rest of the doll. The smallest baby dolls were only 5 to 6 inches tall. These were made completely from bisque. I have looked the doll over and don't see any cracks or chips. There are some light colored lines at the top of one leg. Crazing? The hands and feet are in what looks like perfect condition. The surface does show some light "soil" from age. There is a dark spot on the left shoulder. Please see pictures. UPDATE: I took an eraser to the "lines" on the top of the left leg and the marks came off. Please see last 2 pictures. Next to the last pic shows the lines, last pic shows them cleaned off. Excellent pre-owned condition. MEASUREMENTS: H 4" X W 1 3/4" X D 1 1/4" Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE All items are shipped using recycled materials whenever possible. Please note: This is an antique item. It has had another life with another owner(s). It may have light wear which might include scratches or marks. It has the well-loved look that only an antique item can provide. Any noticeable issues will be disclosed in the description and pictures.

Price: 199.99 USD

Location: Germantown, Tennessee

End Time: 2024-11-28T06:33:13.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD