Cloth Dolls With Molded Faces and Lithograph Features

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Bruckner Cloth Dolls were created by Albert Bruckner of Jersey City, New Jersey and New York City circa 1901. They were manufactured as late as 1930 and possibly even for a short time after that.

Bruckner cloth dolls have a pressed face which give them some depth and dimension instead of the usual flat face found on most early cloth dolls. His knowledge of lithography and printing is captured in each little face which proudly bears the mark "Pat'd .. July 9th, 1901" on the front of neck or shoulder area of the dolls. This is usually found hidden under clothing so many of these dolls have come to auction or sale unidentified. The Encyclopedia of Dolls by Dorothy and Elizabeth Coleman states "His {Bruckner} earlier days had been spent with the Gray Lithographing Co."

The bodies are firmly stuffed with attached arms and legs which are quite flexible. The entire structure of the doll is that which would have been created for a child to love. The size, usually around 14", is not cumbersome as a bisque doll of the same era would have been. A bisque would have been handled only with extreme care to avoid breakage. A Bruckner child would have accompanied the young mother everywhere........... been played with, slept with, and loved until they had shown the wear present on the surviving dolls now found in our collections and museums.

The dolls of Albert Bruckner were distributed by Horsman. A topsy turvy doll was advertised in 1905 and as late as 1923.

The black face on the topsy turvy is a charmer with two rows of teeth showing and red bows permanently printed in her hair.

Even with "smooshed", soiled little faces Bruckner dolls entwine themselves within your heart strings.

Sometimes dolls are found with partially original clothing.......as it is with "Red Riding Hood".

Circa 1925, a doll was patented as "Dollypop". This all cloth doll has the common flat face with handpainted features. Another doll registered in 1926 was "Tubby-Tot". The topsy turvy was then called "Tu-N-One". Sorry, no photos available of these dolls. As late as 1930 these same dolls were advertised as well as dolls with composition parts.

Bruckner dolls were sold at many familiar department stores such as F.A.O. Schwartz and Macy's.

Truely, the earlier dolls by Albert Bruckner hold the most appeal no matter what condition in which they are found. Many are missing an arm........some both arms. Can't you just see the child which dragged her own Bruckner "child" by its hand until it no longer had one?

If you are attempting to adopt a Bruckner orphan, in the cloth doll section on eBay is where they are frequently found listed.

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