Doll:French Fashion Doll

Established in the 1840s, the Jumeau firm carved out a niche for premier-quality dressed lady dolls. Early Jumeau dolls had comparatively coarse and unrefined bodies, but their beautifully painted, expressive faces made of especially fine bisque received much praise. Emile Jumeau, the youngest son of the company's founder, took over the firm in the 1874 and dedicated himself to improving Jumeau dolls. Under his leadership, the company flourished, garnering several awards for doll production and costumes. So successful was the Jumeau firm that in 1894 Emile Jumeau gave himself the modest name Roi de Poup퀌�es, or king of dolls. Most collectors, however, value the Jumeau firm, not for its beautiful ladylike fashion dolls but, for its popular b퀌�b퀌�s.