Doll:Harry Schoenhut Toddler 17/108W

When the A. Schoenhut Company of Philadelphia first unveiled its line of dolls in 1911, it introduced children and infant dolls, standing at 16 and 15 inches respectively. The original collection, all designed by Italian sculptor M. Graziano, included boy and girl child dolls, both available with various facial features and either carved and painted hair or mohair wigs. Two different infants, Schnickel-Fritz and Tootsie-Wootsie, appeared with the child dolls. The infants had carved hair and lively expressions. The original collection, however, lasted for less than a year, and late in 1911 the company began to make significant changes to the line. Schoenhut changed the appearance of the child dolls and offered them in a wider variety of sizes. The company discontinued Schnickel-Fritz and Tootsie-Wootsie in 1912, replacing them with a line of infants and toddlers designed by Harry E. Schoenhut, son of the company's founder Albert. After reaching a peak in production around 1914, the outbreak of World War I forced the toy manufacturer to make changes. It streamlined the production process, replaced the dolls' expensive steel spring joints with elastic bands, and offered only the most popular dolls. In the late 1920s, doll production ceased altogether, but the dolls remain popular among collectors today.