Antique Schmitt, Thuillier, Pintel & Godchaux, Danel Bebes Dolls Identified French
Antique Schmitt et Cie bébé, pressed bisque socket head, jointed wood and composition body with flat bottom, jointed at shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, non-jointed straight wrists, mohair wig, pale bisque coloring with lightly blushed cheeks, oval paperweight eyes lined in black with a hint of eye shadow, short painted lashes, feathered brows, closed painted lined mouth, pierced ears lightly blushed, doll mark two crossed hammers SCH on a shield.
Schmitt et Cie Bebes Dolls 1853-1891 French
Brief history; Henri Maurice Schmitt and company (Schmitt et Cie) began in 1853 in Paris, France making fancy goods and children’s toys. It’s believed Schmitt began making bisque or composition papier mache head dolls about 1867. Henri and his son Frederic Charles Schmitt formed Schmitt et Fils in 1877 to manufacture toys and bébés until 1891.
In 1877 Schmitt was granted a patent for improved coloring or tinting of porcelain shoulder heads for bébés and registered their trade mark of a shield, two crossed hammers, SCH. In 1878 Schmitt et Fils won a silver medal at the Paris Exposition for their bébés.
From 1879-1891 Schmitt’s specialty was a doll called Bébé Schmitt supposedly an indestructible jointed Bébé who they also exported. In 1883 Schmitt obtained a patent for adding a thin layer of wax applied to the pressed bisque heads, which Schmitt believed enhanced the appearance and durability of the dolls. Schmitt’s French bébés are of the finest quality, have very high values and are very desirable to doll collectors around the world.
André Thuillier Bebe Dolls 1875-1893 and 1896-1898 French
The André Florent Thuillier doll company of Paris, France produced excellent quality antique child, poured bisque head bebes on a wood, composition or kid body. Early dolls have a closed mouth, later dolls had either a closed or open mouth. Some Thuillier antique bisque doll heads were produced by the Francois Gaultier doll company.
All known Thuillier dolls are identified by the doll mark AT with a size number of 1 to 15 between the initials that co-responds to an actual size of between 9 inches to 36 1/2″ tall. Doll shoes by Thuillier may also be marked AT inside an oval. Thuillier dolls are extremely rare, if you can’t obtain an original antique Thuillier doll – reproduction dolls can often be found.
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Pintel & Godchaux Bebes Dolls 1887-1899+ French
Henri Pintel and Ernest Godchaux founded their doll company in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France in 1887 and continued operating until 1899 when they joined SFBJ.
In 1890 Pintel & Godchaux registered a patent for a dolls diagonal hip joint. In 1892 Pintel & Godchaux registered their doll trade name of Bébé Charmant.
ca. 1890 Danel & Cie Paris Bébé doll, 27″ tall, bisque socket head doll, paperweight eyes, lightly painted upper & lower lashes, feathered brows, lightly outlined lips, pierced ears, composition jointed body, doll mark Tete Déposée Paris-Bebe.
Danel et Cie Bebes Dolls 1889-1892 French
The Danel & Cie Company was founded by Messieurs Anatole Danel and Jean Marie Guepratte located in Paris and Montreuil-sous Bois, France. Danel was a past director of the Jumeau doll company, which had a factory across the street from one another. In 1890 Jumeau successfully sued Danel & Cie for copyright infringement. By 1896 Jumeau appears to have taken over producing Danel et Cie bébés, probably as part of the settlement, they renewed the Paris Bébé and Bébé Français trademarks and continued with their own production of the dolls, through to joining SFBJ after 1899.
Danel & Cie are best known for their bisque socket head dolls, with paperweight eyes, feathered brows, pierced ears with wood and composition jointed bodies:Paris Bébé doll, 1891 Bébé Français doll and 1892 black Bébé Français doll of which they are the earliest reference to producing bebes of this typein France, all of which are high quality. Guépratte registered the trade name Bébé Soleil.
Danel & Cie identifying doll marks; 1889symbolof an Eiffel Tower; Tété Déposée Paris Bébé, BF, E 1 D, E.8.D, E 5 D Dep France, doll shoe mark a star symbol initials DLGRC PARIS DEPOSE. Note: The French term Bébé = dolly or baby faced doll.