A. Lanternier et Cie was founded in 1855 in Limoges, France a city renown for it’s fine quality porcelain products, but they did not begin making porcelain doll heads until 1915 through 1924.

Lanternier made bisque socket head Child or Lady dolls.  Child dolls have jointed composition and wood bodies, lady dolls are on five piece lady bodies, heavy feathered painted eyebrows, open mouth with upper and lower teeth, open closed mouth or with a space between, glass or paperweight eyes lined in black, some dolls have pierced ears, wigged, in sizes 12″ to 36″ tall.  Bodies vary and can range from crude to very good.

After 1918 some Lanternier doll bodies were made by Gesland’s sucessor M. Joseph Ortyz (Ortiz).  Lanternier doll names are Bebe, Caprice, Cherie, Favorite, Lorraine, Lutin and Toto. Some Lanternier doll sculptors are Gilette, F. Mialonos and Ed Tasson whose name may appear in the doll marking and as you will see in the video below some Lanternier dolls are unmarked.