Bisque-headed doll
Jules Nicholas Steiner
Category
Dolls
Date
circa 1890
Materials
Bisque-headed doll, leather, metal, textiles
Measurements
590 mm (height)
Place of origin
France
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 659677
Caption
A bisque-headed (unglazed porcelain) doll made by the French company 'Jules Nicholas Steiner' in 1890 (circa). She has fixed blue glass eyes, a swivel head and 'real' human hair. She has pierced ears with metal and bead earrings. Her body and jointed limbs are made of painted composition material. She is wearing her original cotton fabric clothes including a dress, a petticoat, a chemise and a pair of cotton drawers. She also wears a pair of brown leather boots.
Summary
A bisque-headed doll made by Jules Nicholas Steiner. She has blue glass eyes, moulded and painted facial features and a closed mouth. She also has pierced ears with metal and bead earrings. Her long light brown (real) hair is wavy, parted at the centre and tied in four bunches with narrow black velvet ribbon. Her body and limbs are made of painted composition, jointed at the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip and knee, with a swivel head. She is wearing a dress made from cream cotton lawn fabric, printed with a pattern of tiny blue diamonds. The dress has a yoke and elbow-length sleeves and fastens at the back with two small press studs. Below this is a cream cotton waist petticoat, which fastens with a drawstring at the waist and is decorated with many pin tucks and lace inserts. Below this is a cream cotton chemise which has very narrow lace at the neck and hem but the armholes are just hemmed. Under this is a pair of cream cotton drawers. These have a crochet trim at the legs and fasten with a drawstring at the waist. The doll also wears a pair of brown leather boots. Each is decorated at the toe with a ribbon rosette and fastens with a brown ribbon 'lace' threaded through eyelets.
Marks and inscriptions
On back of head: J STEINER/ B TE S G D G/ PARIS/ F RE A 17 On sole of boot: 11/ AUBERE [BON] MARCHE/ SIMONET/ 63 RUE DE SEVRES
Makers and roles
Jules Nicholas Steiner , maker