B J'S BABES Seeley Doll Studio Presents
French Antique Reproductions
French dolls have long been favorites of porcelain doll makers, and some of the most darling dolls for reproduction are the Bébé Brus. These dolls were adored by little girls 100 years ago and are highly valued today. Bébé dolls were first made around 1875, with articulated, unbreakable composition bodies proportional to a child's. This new doll was called Bébé, as opposed to the fashion doll, Poupée.
Emile Jumeau was the most successful bisque doll manufacture during the last quarter of the 1800s. He was the son of Pierre Francois Jumeau, who founded the company around 1842. All Jumeau heads were pressed, not cast. From the early 1890s, Jumeau made black and brown dolls.
The J.D. Kestner Co. made dolls in Germany as early as 1845. At that time dolls were sold wearing only a chemise, shoes and stockings. Early Kestner dolls wore mohair wigs. Kestner was one of the few companies that made the whole doll.
The Société Francaise de Fabrication de Bébé and Jouets (S.F.B.J.), which means French Society for the Manufacture of dolls and toys, was formed in 1899 to compete with German doll making companies. Eight French doll and toy factories, including Jumeau and Gaultier, comprised the Société. Many of the molds used had been created earlier by Jumeau. Some of the dolls made by S.F.B.J. bear the UNIS France mark. The initials U.N.I.S. stand for Union Nationale Inter-Syndicale.
