From late Jumeau fashion dolls to early unmarked Barrois bisque lady dolls, take a step back in time when these elaborate and beautiful fashions represented the haute couture of the day.
By Ann G. Hays
Yardage of red wool tartan, pink silk faille, and black cotton velvet are no more than bolts of expensive fabric stored on a shelf. The fabric comes to life in the hands of a creative doll couturier. With combinations of fabrics, colors, lace, and ribbons, creativity is limitless when creating a garment for a Victorian fashion lady doll. Abstract thoughts begin to take shape with knowing snips, strategic tucks, and tiny stitches made by the skilled hands of seamstresses. At one time, fine hand-stitching was required because a successful sewing machine was not invented and in the hands of seamstresses until the 1850s.
Hand-sewing has been considered an art form for centuries. The very first sewing needles were constructed from bone or animal horn. Thread had its origins from animal sinew. It was not until the 14th century that primitive iron needles were invented, and the first needles with a threading eye were introduced a century after.
The first patent associated with mechanical sewing was a 1755 British patent taken out by Charles Weisenthal, a German. All we know of this patent is that he was issued protectionism to cover a needle designed for a machine, but the machine itself was not described.
Almost 50 years later, English inventor and cabinet maker Thomas Saint was issued the first patent for a complete sewing machine, designed to pass a needle through leather. Nothing commercial was developed from this.
Numerous patents for sewing machines followed, all of which did not function well. However, the first functional sewing machine was met with angry resistance. The inventor, a French tailor named Barthelemy Thimonnier, developed a machine in 1830 that used only one thread and a hooked needle that produced the chain stitch used for embroidery work. But his garment factory was burnt to the ground by a group of enraged French tailors who feared loss of employment due to his invention.
In 1834, Walter Hunt built America’s first successful sewing machine but failed to patent it, opening the door for Elias Howe to obtain the first patent in 1846 for a sewing machine that had a needle with an eye at the point. The needle was thrust through a piece of fabric and created a loop on the other side. A shuttle on a track then slipped the second thread through the loop, creating what is known as the lockstitch. Isaac Singer added the up-and-down motion of a needle powered by a foot treadle. Previous machines had been powered by a hand crank.
In the 1850s, Singer put commercially made machines in the marketplace. However, his machines used the same lockstitch that Howe had patented. A patent infringement lawsuit was taken against Singer by Elias Howe. The judgment was made in Howe’s favor.
The 19th-century French and German doll makers incorporated these inventions into their workshops. Seamstresses now produced a wide variety of doll costumes at a commercial and profitable level. Both hand-sewing and machine-sewing could be used on the same garment. Some dolls had costumes made for special requests, while others were dressed to meet orders for dolls featured in catalogues. A masterful choreographer was needed to select the dress designs, fabric choices, complementing trimwork, and accessories.
Imagine the delight on a little French girl’s face when she entered a Victorian toy shop supplied by such firms as Jumeau, Bru, and Maison Rohmer. An array of choices would have been displayed. A child might have been permitted to purchase a lady doll in an elaborate costume, accompanied with a trunk full of clothes and marvelous accessories. The doll’s trousseau could have included lace-trimmed pantaloons, a ribbon-trimmed corset, cotton half-slips, a cotton nightgown, a silk opera coat, stockings, a morning coat, matching rabbit fur muff and hat set, a promenade ensemble, or a straw chapeau with fringed silk and feather trim.
One of the most prominent French firms that produced both bisque and china lady dolls was Jumeau, founded in the 1840s by Pierre Francoise Jumeau. It is known that the firm’s first dolls were papier-mâché. Unfortunately, none are attributable as they were unmarked. In the 1850s, Jumeau added glazed porcelain (china) dolls to its inventory, but its bisque poupée (lady) dolls caused the company to excel in the marketplace. Jumeau developed a reputation for quality and beauty of its dolls. Jumeau capitalized on the idea that little girls liked dolls that emulated their fashionably dressed mothers. Thus, Jumeau’s lady dolls had shapely adult figures generally made of stuffed leather. Costumes could be removed. The firm was innovative in providing wardrobes with lavish accessories for little girls’ play.
The lady doll costumed as a bridesmaid in photo 2 was also produced by the Jumeau firm. New French purple plaid silk fabric was used because it replicated the colors, scale, and quality of Victorian silks. She has the “Simonne” face, and her pale smooth complexion has been enhanced by the delicate pink tones of her cheeks and lips.
The French fashion lady doll in photo 3 has a face that collectors refer to as the “Simonne” model. She is attributed to Pierre Jumeau. Many of these dolls were retailed at the Simonne Boutique on Paris’ Rue de Rivoli. She appears in an attractive silk stripe ball gown with a long train, lace accents, and a fringe of mohair with glass beaded decoration. A crown of violets and silk ribbon adorns her hair.
Pierre Jumeau’s son, Emile Francoise Jumeau, took control of the factory in 1874. He propelled the company to international status through advertising, workmanship, and the ultimate finished product: a beautiful fashion doll and later the bébé (child) doll. The Jumeau factory at Montreul, near Paris, was the doll assembly location as well as the producer of doll shoes, socks, and underclothing. But it was the location on Rue Pastourelle where Madame Jumeau made the decisions about patterns, materials and designs that would eventually become the elaborate doll costumes and wardrobes that the Jumeau firm would become known for.
These dolls were the symbols of an opulent society. Only fine seamstresses could produce such lavish costumes, replicating adult costumes in a much smaller scale. Referencing the descriptions and color plates that appeared in Victorian publications, such as Peterson’s Magazine, Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, and Godey’s Magazine, required nimble fingers, long hours, and a skilled hand. Taken from Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, 1862: “The dress is of green tarlatane, figured with black leaves, and trimmed with black velvet. It is made with three skirts, trimmed with plain sarsnet ribbon, edged with broad and narrow black velvet, there being four rows on each skirt. The body has a round waist, is quite plain, with simple puffed sleeves, and a green silk band.”
A longer description would have been used for the exquisite ball gown worn by the Parisienne doll in photo 4. This portrait Jumeau fashion lady doll is costumed in old fabric to match a color plate appearing in a lady’s fashion magazine. Handmade lace adorns the puffed sleeves, traces the neckline, descends the fitted bodice, and follows the outline of the dress’s train. This magnificent gown was custom-tailored to fit the doll. The design created an elegant, regal sweeping effect. The adult version of this costume would have been worn by a woman of status and considerable wealth.
The elaborately costumed French Bru premier model poupee bois doll in photo 1 could have stepped out of a fashion magazine. Her marigold-colored silk brocade two-piece ensemble lavishly descends to the floor, encircling her. Sumptuous ecru lace and blue silk ribbon trim the dress at her neckline, parallel front panels, sleeves, and hemline. Drapery-style gathers at the hemline are accented with broad looped ribbons. Multi-layers of petticoats support her costume. A hat decorated with a gold tassel and blue velvet trimwork was selected to complement her gown.
Wearing a simpler white cotton batiste summer dress, the smiling lady doll in photo 5 was also produced by the Bru firm. Bru was a major competitor of Jumeau. Leon Casimir Bru, the son of a weaver, opened a doll-making company in 1867. The firm initially purchased heads from Eugene Constant Barrois. These heads were marked “B. Jne et Cie” or “B. J.” Its fashionable lady dolls were costumed in brocades and woven silks of dramatic and rich colors. His wife, Madame Appolyne Bru, designed and sewed costumes.
The Parisienne firm of the Barrois family was one of the earliest French doll-making firms to promote bisque headed dolls. Many of the firm’s porcelain heads were incised with the initials “E. B.” Barrois was a major supplier of bisque heads to both the Bru and Jumeau firms. The unmarked Barrois lady doll in photo 6 has the early face and flat cobalt glass eyes often identified with the firm. She wears a two-piece green print day dress ensemble. The doll wears a straw and cloth chapeau and carries a brass dog head handled parasol and a brown leather purse.
A study of firms producing lady dolls in the Paris area could not overlook the Francois Gaultier firm. This creative gentleman married into a family business that manufactured porcelain heads. The firm became a main supplier of heads for Jumeau as well as other French doll makers/assemblers. Incised with the typical “F. G.” initials, the fashion lady doll in photo 7 still retains an almost pristine kid body with well-modeled bisque hands and lower legs. Her two-piece blue monochromatic ensemble was inspired by the fashion trends of the late 1870s. A stylish straw hat trimmed with ribbon and a plume provide the finishing touch.
German manufacturers supplied doll heads for the French market but also produced their own competitive versions of the lady doll. The astonishing 27½-inch unmarked Simon & Halbig lady doll in photo 8 has been opulently costumed in a magnificent ball gown. Her salmon-pink satin gown has a full flowing floor-length skirt. This stunning costume was adapted from a fashion plate appearing in the August 1872 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Antique fabric and lace from the period was customized for the gown. The costume allows for the exposure of her lovely neck and shoulders, which was permissible for evening wear.
Each of these dolls represent cameos of fashion and elegance from the mid to late Victorian period. Their stylish costumes profile the adult color fashion plates, creative couturiers, and the skilled hands of seamstresses. It is with enormous gratitude for their survival that today’s collector can purchase and enjoy these dolls. These lady dolls beautifully display and model their textile creations. They truly represent cameos of the haute couture of their day.
Buy This Issue: May 2008
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