Armand Marseille Dolls

Armand Marseille manufactured bisque doll heads in Sonnenberg and Koppelsdorf, Thuringia, Germany from 1885 to the early '30s. The company produced bisque heads for a large variety of dolls, including heads for baby, child, lady, and character dolls. At the height of production, the company produced 1,000 doll heads per day.

The most common doll heads that Armand Marseille produced were molds 370 and 390. Mold 370 was a shoulder head that was mounted on a cloth or kid body, and mold 390 was a socket head that was mounted on a composition body. Armand Marseille did not manufacture doll bodies, but purchased these from other suppliers. These dolls usually had glass sleep eyes, painted eyebrows, painted eyelashes, and open mouths with teeth.

The Armand Marseille doll mark is very recognizable. It consists of the words Made in Germany with the initials AM or Armand Marseille written out along with the mold number and the name of the doll mold if applicable. The mark is always found on the back of the doll's head and neck. Some Armand Marseille marks include an upside-down horseshoe, an anchor, or another doll maker's name.

Quick Facts

• The namesake founder of the company, Armand Marseille, emigrated from Russia to Germany in the 1860s. In the mid-1880s, he purchased both a toy factory and a porcelain factory, merging the two to create his doll heads
• Some of the doll names produced by Armand Marseille include Alma, Bessie, Darling, Duchess, and Florodora. Armand Marseille also produced dolls for other companies like CM Bergman, Sears Roebuck & Co., and American Beauty
• One of Armand Marseille's most popular dolls was My Dream Baby. This doll, introduced in the mid-'20s, was one of the first baby dolls ever produced. It had a realistic-looking baby head and face, plus arms and legs bent into positions typical for babies