ca. 1910 Maggie Bessie doll, 13"

Maggie Bessie dolls were made possibly as early as 1897 to the early 1940s in Salem, North Carolina, USA.  Only about 500 dolls were reportedly made.

These all cloth dolls; girls or boys, were handmade from patterns created by the Pfhol sisters, dolls have flat faces with oil painted facial features and hair that came in various sizes from 13 to 22" tall,  girl  dolls have center parted painted hair and were dressed in simple styles of a dress, bonnet with painted oilcloth shoes, boy dolls have side parted painted hair and are found in far few numbers than girls, came dressed in shirt, shorts, cap and painted oilcloth shoes.

Maggie Bessie dolls were made by the sisters (Maggie) Margaret Gertrude Pfohl (1877-1965) and (Bessie) Caroline Elizabeth Pfohl (1870-1959), both of whom remained unmarried.

Dolls are unmarked.