American Cloth Character Doll Known as Sheppard Baby

Live Auction

21" (53 cm.) All-cloth doll with pressed and oil-painted facial features depicting a young child,painted wispy brown hair with tendrils onto the forehead,painted large brown eyes with painted upper lashes and tiny white eyedots,defined eye sockets,shaded brows,accented nostrils,closed mouth with shaded lips,blushed cheeks,firmly-stuffed stockinette body with oil- painted arms and legs,stitched fingers with painted nails,antique cotton suit may be original. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: the distinctive and artistic doll is known as Philadelphia Baby or Sheppard Baby in reference to the J.B. Sheppard Department Store of Philadelphia which sold the doll,circa 1900; the actual creator of the doll has never yet been identified. Value Points: superb state of preservation of the rare doll.