No. 31

Stephanie (A.T. Bebe)

French Antique Reproduction

Details

Artist

Lynn Harrison (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)

Original

Andre Thuillier 'A.T.' bebe (Paris, 1875-1893)

Mold

Virginia LaVorgna A.12.T 'Stephanie'

Height

65 cm

Shown at

D.A.G Competition, blue ribbon

Made

c. 2008 (incised on the back of the head)

About this doll

'Stephanie' wears a cream gown trimmed with pink roses and long gloves. Lynn Harrison made her around 2008 and entered her in a D.A.G competition, where she won a blue ribbon; her face reproduces the 'A.T.' bebe of Andre Thuillier of Paris, ranked with Bru and the H bebe among the rarest and most valuable French antique dolls.

Her real charm is in the view from behind: a wine-colored ribbon falling from the waist, roses made one by one by hand, and layer upon layer of ruffles and lace. She was designed to be admired from every angle, a full 360 degrees.

Background

Andre Thuillier made dolls in Paris from 1875 to 1893 and again in 1896-98. His bebes are incised with a size number from 1 to 15 between the letters A and T, such as 'A 9 T', and have pressed-bisque heads with paperweight glass eyes, closed mouths and pierced ears on French composition-and-wood jointed bodies or kid bodies. Only a few were made each year, so originals are extremely rare: at Theriault's a 22-inch A.T. has sold for 52,000 dollars and a 9-inch one for 60,000.

In D.A.G competitions antique reproductions are scored for authenticity, their likeness to the antique, while costuming is judged separately for historical accuracy and the precision of cutting and sewing. Lynn Harrison's other work here includes parian reproductions (Nos. 27, 28), modern dolls (Nos. 20, 23) and the couples made with her mother Shirley Lloyd (Nos. 21, 22).

For questions about this doll, please send us a message on Instagram.