The Enchanting History of the Baby Dimples Doll by Horsman: A Timeless Classic from 1928

 Hello again, Dear Reader! As you may or may not have noticed I’ve been on vacation for the past couple weeks. School ended, as did track practice. We spent a lovely week up at the tiny cabin fishing and hiking and relaxing. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Cross country practice started today and so I am once again up with the sun to drive Mom’s Taxi.

I did get back to my original job, doll restoration, over the break. Nowadays I have to spend so much time on social media it’s hard to find the opportunity to actually restore dolls like I used to. I was planning to hire my daughter to be my social media manager for the summer but she got a job elsewhere so I’m back to doing it myself. I am recording myself repairing dolls (any I can get to) for my upcoming as-yet-to-be-named doll repair course. My Midcentury Doll Repair course is available on this website. It’s on sale right now, but you can actually get it for free when you purchase my Midcentury Doll Repair book.

​Anyway, I managed to finish one doll over the break and she’s a sweetheart. It’s Baby Dimples by Horsman. This composition doll was made in many different sizes beginning in 1928. This was an extremely popular doll which inspired lots of knock-offs. The Horsman doll is marked “EIH CO INC” on the back of the neck.

Baby Dimples is a cloth body doll with composition head and limbs. It has a crier box. It may come with straight swinging legs or bent disk-jointed legs. They all have open mouths with teeth. I’ve seen the doll dressed both as a boy and a girl, although the only tagged clothing I’ve seen is a long dress. Of course, back in the 1920s babies were often dressed in gowns regardless of gender. All I’ve seen have blue painted tin eyes.

​This Baby Dimples already had a good restoration at some point and just needed a new crier, clothes, and a little cleaning up. I dressed her in real vintage baby clothes. These are from a later period than the doll but the style is similar. Her eyelashes were gone so I did re-paint them. Now, you longtime readers know I just hate eyelashes painted on the eyelids because when the doll’s eyes are closed it’s weird. Hairy eyelids… ugh! It makes me kind of queasy. However, this doll was manufactured this way and has no channel to insert the “real” lashes. I know she’s more authentic this way but it’s not my favorite thing.

These old, large combo dolls are heavy! I wonder how kids were supposed to carry them around. They are satisfyingly realistic, however, and this one is particularly cute. They get harder and harder to find as the years go on.This doll would make a great decoration in a vintage-style baby’s nursery or at a baby shower. And of course she would be a wonderful gift for a doll lover.

​If you want to learn to repair crazed or chipped composition dolls you can find out from my Doll University book. You can also get my FREE tutorial here. 

Find out more about Baby Dimples and purchase her here.