Name: Black Bye-Lo Baby
Made by and When: Grace Storey Putman, circa 1923
Material: Bisque swivel head, composition hands, and cloth frog-shaped body
Marks: Copr. By G. S. Putman Made in Germany
Height: 19 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Molded hair painted brown, brown glass eyes, closed mouth
Clothes: Redressed in a vintage christening gown, coat, and more modern socks
Other: This Bye-Lo baby has its original crier.
Grace Storey Putnam fashioned the Bye-Lo baby after a three-day-old infant in 1922. Described as “the first ever to resemble a newborn child, the dolls became an instant success and were initially manufactured by George Borgfeldt & Co. Made of German bisque. White versions preceded Black versions. Vintage and modern reproductions of the Bye-lo baby exist. This doll is an original Black Bye-lo Baby. Read more about the history of the Bye-Lo Baby here.
Gallery (Photographs courtesy of Sharon Harbin)
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