Splendid French Bisque Bebe E.J.A., by Emile Jumeau

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25" (64 cm.) Pressed bisque socket head with elongated face and very full cheeks and throat, high domed forehead, very deep blue glass paperweight inset eyes, thick dark eyeliner, painted curly lashes, mauve-blushed eyeshadow, brushstroked and feathered brows, accented eye corners, shaded nostrils, closed mouth with defined space between the shaded and outlined lips, separately-modeled pierced ears, brunette human hair over cork pate, French composition and wooden eight-loose-ball-jointed body with plump limbs and straight wrists, fine antique velvet and silk costume, undergarments and original signed Jumeau shoes with silk rosettes. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: E.J./A/10 (small letters at lower back neck). Jumeau Medaille d'Or Paris (body). Comments: Emile Jumeau, circa 1879, very early bebe by Jumeau, listed in an 1879 Paris toy store catalog as available in two grand sizes only (thus, his sizes 10 and 12 which are the only size examples ever known of this bebe), and priced at more than twice every other Jumeau bebe (thus indicating its luxury quality). The model was likely made for two or three years only. Value Points: very rare and stunningly beautiful bebe with beautifully painted delicate bisque enhanced by splendid eyes. The doll is featured in the book, The Rose Unfolds, by Rosalie Whyel and Susan Hedrick, page 112.