January 12, 2025, Meeting

Member Sharon Weintraub did a program on German male bathing beauty figurines, whom she called "beach beaus." She told the club that German companies did make male bathing beauties, but in far fewer numbers than their female counterparts.

Sharon said that many beach beaus appeared as comic figurines. Posing proudly by a small vase or match holder, this male bather stands over the caption “Gaze on me Girls.” He is from the firm of Schäfer and Vater, founded in 1890. Underneath he is incised underneath with Schäfer's crowned sunburst mark and "9593," as well as stamped "Made in Germany.”

 

Also by Schäfer is this pair of real swingers. Sharon told the club that  their legs are hinged with wire, so that they can swing back and forth. 

Sharon called these two mature beach beaus nodding acquaintances, as their bisque heads bob up and down. The man in blue stripes is incised on the back edge of both his head and robe “9273," while his companion is similarly marked “9274."

Sharon noted that not all beach beaus were comic characters. This pair of bisque vases feature a man and a woman dressed in matching red and white bathing attire. She had the bathing beauty preparing to dive in her collection for many years, but later came across the male mate at a local estate sale.

Sharon told the club that in 1879, Italian artist Odoardo Tabbachi created a marble sculpture entitled "La Tuffolina" (the diver), featuring a voluptuous bathing beauty in a graceful diving pose. The statue was so popular that many German porcelain companies produced their own adaptations of Tuffolina in both bisque and china and in a wide variety of sizes. The metal stature is a bronze copy of the original Tuffolina. Next to her is a very scarce male version of La Tuffolina (Sharon suggested that he could be called "Il Tuffolino"). He is 22 inches tall and incised under his base "No. 302" and “3."

Sharon told the club that these two handsome beach beaus are by the German firm of Hertwig and Company. The company, founded in 1864, produced a wide variety of products in "portzellan und feinsteingut" (porcelain and earthenware), from utilitarian household wares to artistic figurines, dolls, and novelties. The beau in black and red is of china  and is stamped "Germany" and incised "544, " while his brother is of light-weight earthenware, and, in addition to the "544" mark, is incised underneath "16." 

This standing beach beau is of precolored bisque with loop jointed arms. There are holes in the soles of his feet for the supporting rods of a stand and "Foreign" is stamped in black on the sole of his left foot.  Sharon explained that in 1890, the United States Congress enacted the McKinley Tariff Act, which required that items imported to the United States be marked with their country of origin. The use of "Foreign" was initiated as a way to comply with the Act, as well as subsequent laws enacted by other countries. The "Foreign" mark not only indicated that an item was manufactured for export, it could be used to avoid marking the originating country's name on a product when there might be some tension between it and receiving country. Sharon attributed the figure to the German firm of Hertwig and Company, which made extensive use of precolored bisque. She said that she suspected that with the jointed arms and the holes in the feet for a supporting stand, he was intended to be dressed and displayed, most likely as a groom. However, she has dressed him in swim attire created from a scrap from an antique wool bathing suit.

Sharon said that this beach beau was created by the German company of Galluba and Hofmann, founded by Hugo Galluba and Georg Hofmann in 1891. She noted that while this firm is renown among collectors for its beautiful bathing beauty ladies, Galluba made at least one male counterpart. He is superbly sculpted with detailed musculature and has a golden tan. Under his left thigh he is incised with "80423 P.P." 

Member Myrna Loesch shared this mustached man doll with a bisque head and articulated wooden body. He appears to be stamped "SS" on his back and resembles dolls made by artist Sherman Smith.

Member Jan Irsfeld brought a bowling beauty instead of a bathing beauty. This felt and cloth character doll may be by either Klumpe or Roldan, two Spanish doll makers who produced a wide variety of souvenir and comic caricature dolls beginning in the 1950s.

Guest David Craig shared this ball-jointed doll by the Phoenix, Arizona company of D.A.E. Originals.  David told the club that he really likes the fashions of the 1950s and 60s. 

Member Pam Hardy brought this French S.F.B.J. doll. In 1899, French doll makers, including Jumeau,  formed an alliance named Société Française de Fabrication de Bébé and Jouets, using the mark "S.F.B.J." SFBJ used Jumeau molds for some of its dolls.