Bye-Lo Baby Doll, circa 1925
Add to SetSummary
Grace Storey Putnam designed this doll to look and feel like a real three-day-old infant. But such realism was looked down upon by male industry executives. The manufacturer made design changes, smoothing facial creases and using a bisque head instead of rubber. Still, women eagerly lined up outside toy stores just before Christmas 1923 to buy the "Million Dollar Baby."
Grace Storey Putnam designed this doll to look and feel like a real three-day-old infant. But such realism was looked down upon by male industry executives. The manufacturer made design changes, smoothing facial creases and using a bisque head instead of rubber. Still, women eagerly lined up outside toy stores just before Christmas 1923 to buy the "Million Dollar Baby."
Artifact
Baby doll (Recreational doll)
Date Made
circa 1925
Creators
Putnam, Grace Storey, 1877-1947
Place of Creation
United States, New York, New York
Creator Notes
Designed by Grace S. Putnam and made by J. D. Kestner for George Borgfeldt & Company, New York City, New York
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
90.365.7
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Steven K. Hamp
Material
Porcelain (Material)
Composite material
Glass (Material)
Plastic
Flannel
Cotton (Textile)
Metal
Dimensions
Width: 10 in
Length: 14.25 in
Inscriptions
back of head: COPR BY / GRACE S. PUTNAM