From the house of Henri Alexander in the mid-1880's comes this beguiling French doll (24") called the Phenix Bebe or Phenix Star, due to the *89 incised on the back of her beautiful bisque head. She has large, blue paperweight eyes, an elongated nose, closed mouth and meticulous painting of dramatic features. Her brunette human hair wig could be original, she has pierced ears and has a fully jointed, wood and composition body with some wear at the neckline and joints.  

What a beautiful look she has, with dark brown paperweight eyes, detailed lashes, brows and shading, an elongated face with a rose pink closed mouth, pale, creamy bisque and pierced ears. Her antique blond wig is a hand sewn masterpiece with long, flowing locks called tails and it is possibly original. The head in incised “13” and the body is the typcical Triste style with the very chunky torso, jointed arms and legs, but with straight wrists and it is well marked in the back “Jumeau Medaille D'Or.”   There is a small white rub on her lower left cheek. 

Her antique costume is multi-layered with an under dress of feather-light ecru net over a fine silk lining and covering that up is a deepest blue, velvet coat dress with a faint ecru dotted pattern and pearly buttons. Her undergarments are so Jumeau with the crisp half slip and pantaloons, with matching camisole and she wears an antique satin, silk and lace trimmed bonnet, also in ecru. Her black leather shoes are antique child shoes.

Even other makers like Schmitt produced a doll with a sort of family resemblance at this time. The eyes on this doll are rich, brown paperweight or what Jumeau called “human eyes” and her wig is antique mohair in a rosy blond tint that so compliments her complexion. Some of the EJA bebes were not marked as is the case with this one, bearing only the mark of an incised “10” at the back of the head and this particular bebe was also known as “Elizabeth”.  

Only one body style was used for this model, being the chunky eight-ball composition body with straight wrists and oversized hands, and she does have the Jumeau “Medaille D'Or” stamp on the lower back. Her antique French costume is superb, made of soft, pink silk with puffed sleeves and a full skirt, then with an abundant lace over-skirt with inset ivory ribbons all around. Her soft, lacy antique bonnet repeats the deluxe, frilly mood. Her antique leather boots lace up to mid-calf and she layers of antique cotton undergarments beneath it all. 

 We love our early Steiner children with their almost primitive look, including spiral enamel, almond shaped eyes, open mouth with two rows of teeth, palest, almost white bisque, subtle painting of features and full, extra youthful face. Very interesting is her early head opening, which, instead of starting at the top of the forehead, is a smaller round hole towards the back of the head, sealed with a fine fitting, round cork. The sheepskin wig in a subdued platinum is not original, however it does have some age. The body is interesting, as it has the form and construction of a Steiner body, but from slightly later era, having jointed shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, straight wrists and slim fingers.

 This girl's amused expression features blue glass almond shaped eyes with brush stroked lashes and brows, a closed mouth with an almost suspicious half-grin, rosy blushed cheeks on pale bisque and a replaced platinum mohair wig in a short, tousled style. The incised mark at the rear base of her neck is HURET, an elongated neck like that of a young teenager and it fits perfectly into the raised socket of her fully jointed French composition and wood body with a shapley, older girl waist. There is some paint flaking off on her torso (and hands), probably wear from doll stands, and even though there is a pink layer below, the finish of the body looks original and was maybe a top layer. Her antique A-line frock is a smart, burgundy and black striped number, with black velvet trim and she wears an antique velvet bonnet, antique undergarments and black leather shoes.