Banner image, six basic facial types developed by Dewees Cochran for her 'Portrait Dolls' in 1936 (from As If They Might Speak).
The appeal of realistic looking dolls is timeless. As you can see from this 1939 Life Magazine Article "Dolls Like Girls", look-alike dolls were an exciting new concept. These 'Portrait Dolls' were the idea of Dewees Cochran.
Dewees Cochran came up with the idea of making dolls to order to look like a specific child in the mid-1930's. She studied anatomical features of children at different ages for her work. Her 'Portrait Dolls' were rapidly popular among the wealthy, but at a cost of $85 in 1939 (in todays dollars that is $1,400!) they were out of reach for the general public. Eff-AN-BEE commissioned her to make a series of dolls for mass production, selecting four face types from six designed by Dewees Cochran. As you can see from the above article, the Eff-AN-BEE versions sold for $25, about $400 in todays dollars! This highlights the accomplishment of My Twinn, to offer custom dolls to the mass market at their price point.
Dewees Cochran lived a fascinating life which was captured in her illustrated autobiography, As If They Might Speak. I highly recommend it as a good read with lovely photos for all interested collectors of My Twinn dolls.
Above, an excerpt of one of the many charming photo of girls with their dolls, and below, the artist Dewees Cochran at work, both from As If They Might Speak.
In addition to her illustrated autobiography, As If They Might Speak, much information about Dewees Cochran and her dolls is available online.
I suggest these sources to whet your appetite:
http://www.dollreference.com/cochran_dewees_dolls.html
http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/51/76.629
http://www.artfact.com/subcollection/dewees-cochran-45baw4jcmv
Logan's Fascinating Bits of Doll History
Thanks to Joan for this curious article about Edison's Talking Doll:
http://www.edisontinfoil.com/doll.htm
Listen to the voices!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/science/thomas-edison-talking-dolls-recordings.html?_r=2
Delightful Blog about Schoenhut Antique Dolls:
http://dollsfromtheattic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/santa-claus-of-kensington.html