The Eaton Beauty Doll:
"The Doll We Will Never Forget" (Page 2)

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The Eaton Beauty by Armand Marseille with her identifying ribbon, chemise, socks, and shoes, was back in the 1924-25 fall-and-winter catalogue. Her 21-inch [53.34-cm] body was fully jointed composition and her glass sleep eyes had real eyelashes. The doll cost $1.50 and was also labelled as an "Eatonia" doll, indicating an excellent value. By the 1920s, the popularity of the Eaton's Beauty doll was remarkable and little girls throughout Canada were putting it on their Santa Claus wish list.

Other department stores introduced their own beauty dolls. The 1910-11 Hudson's Bay Company catalogue showed a doll with a bisque shoulderhead and leather body with a ribbon labelled Western Beauty. Another doll was found wearing a green ribbon with Hudson's Bay printed on it. Simpson's 1927 catalogue featured a doll called a Simpson's Princess doll. A lovely 30-inch [76.2-cm] Armand Marseille has surfaced with a red ribbon marked Canadian Beauty. Lovely as these dolls were, they were never as popular as the Eaton's Beauty dolls.

Eaton Beauty for 1930 made by Armand Marseille, Germany. Bisque head, model #390, fully ball-jointed papier-mâché body; replaced mohair wig, silk dress made for her when she was new.

Eaton Beauty for 1926 made by Armand Marseille, Germany. Bisque head, model 390, fully ball-jointed composition body; redressed in old clothing.

Eaton Beauty for 1928 was made by Cuno & Otto Dressel, Germany. Bisque head, fully ball-jointed composition body; original chemise and red ribbon.

From 1925 to 1927 the Beauties were made by Armand Marseille, but the 1927-28 catalogue showed a Cuno & Otto Dressel doll. The 22-, 24- and 27-inch [55.88-, 60.96-, and 65.58-cm] dolls wore the Princess slip for the first time and the new, short bobbed hair that was fashionable at the time.

In the 1928-29 catalogue, a 21-inch [53.34-cm] doll was shown with a ribbon identifying her as an Eatonia doll. She was only a dollar while the same sized Beauties cost $1.50. Because most families had very little disposable income at the time, many parents bought this less expensive doll and told their daughters it was an Eaton's Beauty. The doll was offered again in 1931.

With the Depression in full swing by 1934-35, the Eaton Beauty, again made by Armand Marseille, had only a five-piece composition body and painted bisque head. The painted bisque was not washable so the price was lowered to $1.39 and a replacement head was available for 39 cents. Many people did not have cars at this time and most of the Christmas shopping was done from catalogues.

Eaton Beauty for 1936-37 made by Armand Marseille, Germany. Painted bisque head, model #390, five-piece papier-mâché body.

Eaton Beauty for 1937-38 made by Armand Marseille, Germany. Painted bisque, model 390, 5-piece papier-mâché body; original princess slip, socks and shoes, and red ribbon.

Eaton Beauty for 1938-39 made by Armand Marseille, Germany. Painted bisque head, 5-piece papier-mâché body; original princess slip and ribbon.

When the Second World War began in 1939, the Eaton Beauties were again produced in Canada. The Reliable Toy Company in Toronto made an all-composition 18-inch [45.72-cm] doll wearing the Princess slip, socks, shoes, and a red ribbon declaring them Eaton Beauties. Extra clothing was also available for 95 cents. This doll was one of seventeen featured on four commemorative stamps of Canadian dolls issued in 1990.

Eaton Beauty for 1941-42 made by Reliable Toy Co., Toronto. All composition; original nurse's uniform, ordered from the catalogue.

Eaton Beauty for 1940-41 made by the Reliable Toy Co., Toronto. All composition, 5-piece composition body; original princess slip, socks and shoes, and red ribbon.

Eaton's Beauty for 1939-40. Made by the Reliable Toy Co., Toronto. All composition; original red ribbon.

Although it was possible to buy an Eaton Beauty in 1944 and 1945 from stocks on hand, Reliable had stopped making them in 1943 because the eyes were metal and there were restrictions on the use of metal due to the war. From 1946 to 1953, Eaton Beauty dolls were not available although the popular Little Angel and Baby Precious dolls were advertised in the catalogues.

The 1954 Winnipeg gift catalogue showed an Eaton Beauty doll. It was made by the Dee & Cee Toy Co. and was 18 inches [45.72 cm] tall with a vinyl head, rooted Saran hair, and rubber arms and legs. She wore a striped dress with a matching bonnet and a red ribbon and sold for $5.98. A similar doll was sold in the Winnipeg 1955-56 catalogue wearing a two-tone taffeta dress, a straw hat, and a red ribbon sewn into the waist seam of her dress.

Eaton Beauty from Eaton's (Toronto) 1956 Christmas catalogue, p. 10 (detail), made by Dee & Cee Toy Co. Ltd., Toronto. Vinyl head, Flexee vinyl body; original red ribbon with gold print.

The dolls with rubber arms and legs did not usually survive very long as the rubber deteriorated quickly. Dee an Cee provided a doll for the 1956 Toronto Christmas catalogue with a vinyl skin body stuffed with cotton and a vinyl head with rooted hair. She wore a rayon ninon dress and straw hat trimmed with flowers, again with the Eaton's Beauty ribbon sewn into her dress.

In 1957, the Eaton Beauty dolls came in eight inches [20.32 cm] as well as in 18 [45.72 cm] and 23 inches [58.42 cm], and were priced at $2.98, $5.98, and $7.98 respectively. The dolls were made by Dee & Cee but the eight-inch [20.32-cm] doll had no ribbon and was identified as an Eaton Beauty only on the box.

Eaton Beauty for 1957, made by the Dee & Cee toy Co., Toronto. Vinyl head, Flexee vinyl one-piece body; all original costume. Eaton's Beauty appears only on the box and the doll came in three sizes.

Eaton Beauty for 1960 made by the Dee & Cee Toy Co. Ltd., Toronto. Vinyl head marked 1960/Eaton Beauty by Dee & Cee; redressed by Lois Nuth, Ottawa.

No Eaton Beauties were shown in 1958 and 1959. In 1960, Dee & Cee made an 18-inch [45.72-cm] doll with a vinyl head marked "1960/Eaton Beauty by Dee & Cee." She wore a lovely flowered taffeta dress with a white pinafore.

In 1962, the Eaton Beauty was a 22-inch [55.88-cm] doll made by Regal Toy. She had long hair and an Eaton Beauty ribbon; extra outfits were available. In 1963, the catalogues identified a 21-inch [53.34-cm] Regal doll as an Eaton Beauty but there was no marking and no ribbon.

Eaton Beauty for 1963 made by the Regal Toy Company, Toronto. Vinyl head, plastic five-piece body; redressed.

Eaton Beauty for 1963 made by the Regal Toy Co., Toronto. Vinyl head, plastic five-piece body; redressed.

Eaton Beauty for 1964 made by the Regal Toy Company, Toronto. Vinyl head, plastic five-piece body; original costume with pearl necklace and white ribbon.

The 1964 Eaton Beauty doll wore a dress with a red velveteen bodice and white lace-trimmed skirt. Two similar dolls were also shown but neither of them wore an identifying ribbon. In 1965, four dolls were offered as Eaton Beauties, but again there were no Eaton Beauty ribbons.

In 1977, collectors of Eaton Beauty dolls were happy to see Eaton's revert to the earlier doll with a bisque head and ball-jointed composition body. Dorothy Churchill of Toronto made these reproductions of Armand Marseille's popular mould #390 doll. The dolls were marked A4M/Dorothy/Churchill 1977 and were attractively dressed. The artist continued making Eaton Beauty dolls through 1981 until illness forced her to stop.

Eaton Beauty for 1980 made by Dorothy Churchill, Toronto. Bisque head, fully jointed composition body; original costume and white ribbon.	Eaton Beauty for 1981 made by Dorothy Churchill, Toronto. Bisque head, ball-jointed composition body; original costume.

Gail Karen, Eaton Beauty for 1983 made by April Katz, Toronto. Bisque head and body; original costume.

Eaton Beauty for 1984 made by April Katz, Toronto. Bisque head and body; original costume.

Louisette, the Eaton Beauty for 1989 made by April Katz, Toronto. Bisque head, cloth body, bisque arms, legs and shoulderplate; original pink-and-white taffeta gown.

April Katz of Toronto made Eaton Beauties for Eaton's from 1983 to 1989. They were beautifully dressed little girl dolls with bisque heads and porcelain bodies. In 1989, April Katz produced a 16-inch [40.64-cm] doll called Louisette. Although she was a lovely doll she was not popular with collectors.

Eaton Beauty for 1992 designed by Yvonne Richardson, Toronto, and made by the Dynasty Doll Co., USA. Original costume, umbrella, and hang tag and stand.

In 1991, the American company, Dynasty Doll, made Joyce Marie, an elaborately dressed child doll wearing a large hat. She came with a Certificate of Authenticity. In 1992, Yvonne Richardson of Toronto designed a lady doll, produced by Dynasty Doll. Unfortunately, the lady doll was a disappointment to collectors who had been waiting for the next Eaton Beauty. Many of these dolls were sold at a reduced price.

In 1994, Dynasty Doll produced Emily Anne, an elaborately dressed child doll priced at $250. In 1995, Ivy Marie was introduced as the first Eaton Christmas Beauty doll. She was a lady doll with a cloth body, porcelain hands and feet, upswept hair, and a burgundy satin lace-trimmed gown complete with matching hat and parasol.

Annabelle, the Eaton Beauty Doll for 1996, was another lady doll. She wore a white ribbon with gold print declaring her an Eaton Beauty. In 1997, Effanbee produced a child doll in a fancy costume wearing the identifying white ribbon. There was also a Christmas Beauty in 1997, a lovely lady in a green gown.

The last Beauty appeared in 1999 completing 100 years of a Canadian series of dolls much beloved by children and doll collectors across the country.

Eaton Beauty for 1997 made by Effanbee, United States. Bisque head; all original lace-trimmed white dress and matching hat.

The Eaton Christmas Beauty for 1997. Bisque head; all original lace-trimmed, dark green gown and matching hat.