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She has her rosary, her holy medal, and her keys and was named “Sister Theresa” by her previous owner.  Her bulbous, blue paperweight eyes, outlined lips and youthful face with palest  bisque peaks out from her black and white veil, and she has a mint, all leather body. 

As she is probably still a student at the convent, soon to take her final vows, underneath her habit is her blue and cream checked school dress.  She came to me from her collection with no shoes.

Wearing their original costumes from a rural region of France,  comes this young couple of French fashion dolls, made by F.G.  They have bisque heads and swivel necks on bisque shoulder plates and their simple bodies are all of leather.  Their glass eyes are a deep blue, they both have pierced ears, the man wears his original, lambskin wig,  and she wears a provincial, lace head dress that covers her entire scalp.  There are layers of detail in their original costumes, with a light weight wool being used in vibrant colors for her dress and apron and for his trousers, vest, cumberbund and jacket.  There is melting of the fabric on the lady’s left arm.

There are tiny gold buttons and also gold metallic trim found as decoration, with the lady wearing a tiny metal cross on a black cord around her neck.  She wears a provincial, stiff lace bonnet on her head and he wears a wool felt hat with an eighteenth century feel.  Both of them have detailed bisque  hands molded in a open/closed position to enable holding of assorted objects or tools.  The man wears black, wooden clogs and the lady, her tiny black leatherette slippers, and the dolls were named “The Gautier’s” by the owner.

The evidence of partnership and cooperation between 19th-century doll businesses seems to turn up often for us collectors. The more we know, the more we welcome learning—and the more we realize it is impossible to know it all. This very rarely seen Cruchet fashion bears a strong inspiration to an early Bru, with her wide face, extra molding of the eye sockets, applied eye shadow, and lips with an ever-so-slight smile. Extraordinary molding and decoration of features.

Other factories utilized this unique body, such as Gaultier and Jumeau, so it is usually found with those heads. The Paris Terrene boutique sold them with its own “Terrene” stamp on the chest to promote the shop. Therefore, this body is often called the “Terrene” body. It is so special to find one with this intriguing, rare face. She has bisque forearms with strongly shaped hands, the left one being repaired and repainted.

At the left neck socket on the shoulder plate is a minuscule, 2-millimeter-long firing line inherent to the doll’s manufacture. The costume and hat are antique and finely made, having the genuine quality of an original presentation. Over the cinnamon-brown wool dress with black velvet trim is an opulent black velvet long vest adorned with jet-black bead trim. Unexpectedly, she wears antique red leather slippers!

Although not marked “Simonne” on her body, this gentle muse of a fashion (18″) shares many qualities with dolls sold from that establishment. As Simonne used heads and bodies from other companies, it is no surprise that this face is characteristically Jumeau—an unusually gorgeous example at that. Observe the milky quality of her pristine pale bisque, rich blue enamel eyes, pursed pink lips with outlined edges, and the delicate shading of brows, lashes, and cheeks. Her platinum antique mohair wig (skillfully embellished) and pierced ears add to her charm.

She has a swivel neck on a matching pale bisque shoulder plate, and her forearms and hands are of the same bisque, with artfully sculpted fingers and shaded nails. The upper arms are leather over jointed wood, as are the knees and surrounding leg areas. The torso and upper legs are kid leather with deep gussets for a lifelike shape.

She wears an unforgettable white fine muslin two-piece suit with a meandering print of red floral strokes. The color red gains further attention through a silk sash at the waist that hooks into a rear bow, a splash of matching ribbon on the straw hat covered in antique lace, and her dramatic antique leather heeled slippers. Underneath are double layers of long slips, pantaloons, stockings, and a chemise—all secured by her antique pink corset.

At only 11″, this François Gaultier fashion doll is fresh from Paris and makes an astonishing impact due to her fully original and detailed wedding or communion costume, which has a provincial feel to its design. Her petite but powerful visage features enormous blue enamel eyes, lush lashes, multi-stroke brows, a closed mouth with an accent line between the lips, and pale bisque. Her original blond mohair wig peeks out from under her dramatic headdress of lace, net, silk ribbon, and flowers made of fabric and wax.

This ceremonial theme continues with her starched organdy and shining satin calf-length gown trimmed with lace, ribbon, and floral detail. She wears her original cream cotton stockings and ivory leather slippers. Her never-undressed body is made of firm, clean kid leather, jointed at the shoulders. Her vivid jewelry consists of turquoise glass bead earrings and a matching pin of turquoise beads at her collar line.

More Fashion Dolls go to page 2