No. 09

Long Face Jumeau (Cody)

French Antique Reproduction

Details

Original

Maison Jumeau (Paris), Long Face Jumeau, 1880s

Also called

Cody

About this doll

A doll dressed as an eighteenth-century French gentleman's son, in a navy coat with gold braid, a tricorn hat and a white lace jabot. The original Long Face Jumeau was designed with an androgynous face that could be dressed as either a boy or a girl, and this reproduction takes the boy's part.

According to the collection record the doll is also known as 'Cody'.

Background

The Long Face Jumeau was introduced in 1879 by the Paris firm Jumeau and is traditionally said to have been commissioned from Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887), the sculptor to the Emperor, reputedly using a portrait of Henri IV as a child of four as his model. It is regarded as the first doll whose head was modeled by a celebrated sculptor. Because of its wistful expression it is also called the 'Bebe Triste', the sad baby.

The ears were modeled separately and applied to the head before firing; the head bears only a size number, with a blue stamp on the body. Originals made in the 1880s are extremely rare, and today the Long Face is among the antique molds most often reproduced by porcelain dollmakers.

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