French Bisque Bebe by Leon Casimir Bru with Family Provenance

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21" (53 cm.) Bisque swivel head on kid-edged bisque shoulderplate with modeling of bosom and shoulderblades, brown glass paperweight inset eyes, dark eyeliner, painted lashes, rose blushed eye shadow, brushstroked brows with feathered detail, shaded nostrils, closed mouth with defined teeth between the outlined lips, pierced ears, blonde mohair wig over cork pate, plump kid bebe body with gusset-jointing at hips and knees, bisque arms to elbows, bisque hands, antique rose dress with silk ribbon ruffle and sash, undergarments. Condition: bisque head, shoulderplate and hands are excellent, body is original with some kid patching, upper arms recovered. Marks: (circle dot symbol back of head) Bte SGDG (forehead). Comments: Leon Casimir Bru, circa 1878, the doll came to the Rosalie Whyel Museum from its original family. Named Eyvette, she was the childhood doll of Victoria Santin, born in 1870, whose father Louis Santin, a Mexican diplomat traveling to France, bought the doll for his daughter and it resided in their Mexican estate until 1920 when the family migrated to the United States, along with Eyvette (copy of letter with complete provenance is included with the doll). Value Points: an especially beautiful model of the early Bru bebe with finest bisque and complexion, enhanced further by family provenance.