Baby Doll Clothes

It was not until the 1850s that dolls resembling children and babies were manufactured. The most famous of these dolls were created by the Jumeau company in the 1870s. These renowned French Babes were famous for their beautiful faces and exquisite dresses.

In 1878, the Jumeau company was the Gold Medal recipient at the Paris Expedition. This award was advertised on the labels of the doll’s clothing. Their success continued as the company won awards at competitions in Sydney in 1879, and Melbourne in 1880.

In 1905, a new doll began to gain popularity. The Bleuette was given to all girls who had a subscription to the magazine La Semaine de Suzette. All the dolls were of the same height. This was important, since the magazine featured patterns for making dresses for the doll. The girls were being taught the importance of learning to sew, which was a prerequisite for becoming a respected woman in French society.

Thanks to Grace Putnam Storey in the 1920s, the baby doll became popular in the United States. In her childhood, Grace Putnam Storey dreamed of becoming an artist. When she grew up and had a family, she attended art school in the hopes of getting certified to teach. Although she was already making rag dolls for her daughter, she wanted to use her art training to create dolls with clay sculpted heads. She found inspiration at the Salvation Army Nursing Home in the form of a three-day-old baby girl. While the baby slept, Putnam worked at the hospital, using clay to mold a baby doll in ideal form. It was there that the By Lo Baby Doll was born.

Vinyl dolls, epitomized by those from Lee Middleton and Beringuer, would later provide a new, even more lifelike appearance, making them highly popular and collectible. Another key development in baby doll production was that of reborning, in which hair is inserted in vinyl dolls, which are then painted to look like real babies. However, if you are passionate about adorable baby dolls, the material you may be most interested in is cernit. Cernit allows original sculpting, and offers an amazingly lifelike look.

At Vee’s Victorians, we have an exciting range of Bleuette outfits and baby doll outfits for all styles of dolls. Each outfit from Vee’s Victorians is unique and made with a careful eye towards heirloom quality. Keep the tradition alive with distinctively beautiful hand-sewn doll clothes from Vee’s Victorians. We encourage you to browse our entire selection of baby doll clothes!

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