Issue Date: July 28, 1997
City: Anaheim, CA
Quantity: 7,000,000
Printed By: Sterling Sommer for Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 10.9 x 11.1
Color: Multicolored

 

E.I. Horsman Co. began manufacturing its Baby Land Rag Dolls as early as 1893. Simple in design, the earliest dolls had hand-painted faces and removable clothing. Starting in 1907, the dolls were produced with lithographed “Life Like” faces – a result of technological advances in the printing industry. However, the hand-painted dolls were created simultaneously until 1912.

 

By 1908 the line included thirty-four models with lithographed features that were sold under names such as Baby Land Rag, Baby Land Fancy, and Baby Land Beauty. Character dolls, such as Buster Brown, Red Riding Hood, and Dinah (like the one pictured on the stamp), were also produced. Advertised by well-known stores such as R.H. Macy and Gimbel Bros., the popular dolls were available in four sizes ranging from 12" to 30", and cost from 24¢ to $4.51. According to the manufacturer their faces could all be safely washed with soap and water. Produced until 1928, the name was changed to the more familiar spelling, Babyland Rag, in 1920.

 

Shown holding his lithograph-faced doll, similar to a Babyland Rag doll, the little boy on the front is from a vintage Valentine postcard dated 1908.