Jumeau

The word JUMEAU represents a French doll making company in the 1800s. One can view an amazing collection some of the famous “BÉBÉ Jumeau” dolls online at the Barry Art Museum here.

JUMEAU also means “twin” in French. Making a doll twin for it’s little owner was a goal of the JUMEAU company. In 1889 an article in the Pantheon of Industry wrote that they strove to provide each little mother with a baby that looks like her.

Collectors greatly value these famous antique dolls which often auction at high prices. For example a large 51 cm TRISTE in good condition auctioned off in October of 2022 at Millon Auction house in Paris for 23,500 euros before the added buyer’s premium and taxes.

Beginnings

In 1889 the publication, “The Pantheon of Industry” wrote that Emile Jumeau’s father founded the company in 1843 with a factory in Montreuil-sous-Bois and a store in Paris at 8, rue Pastourelle. The publication said Mr. Jumeau had the ambition to rid France of German dolls. The first factory made “skin dolls” or dolls with kid leather stuffed bodies known as “Parisian Dolls” or “poupées parisiennes.”

Belton & Jumeau

But it began before 1843. The newspaper Le Droit makes the legal announcement in 1841 of the new company “BELTON et JUMEAU.” Louis-Desire Belton and Pierre Francois Jumeau joined to operate a business at rue Salle-au-Comte, 14 which they purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Herissey. They registered a deed for the company April 15, 1841 with the deed actually dated April 14. The announcement explains that the new company will offically begin January 15, 1842 and to end five years later January 15, 1847. (Le Droit, 28 April 1841, page 406 – see the 3rd column). The reporter mentioned Mrs. Jenny-Prudence Marteau (wife of Belton) and Mrs. Adele-Amelie Aumoitte (wife of Jumeau).

In 1842 “Belton et Jumeau” began advertising their manufacturing fashion dolls (“f. poupees de modes”) at an address of Salle-au-Comte, 14 in the Almanach-Bottin du commerce de Paris.

One can find the company “Belton & Jumeau” listed in an 1844 official French industry catalog advertising the manufacturing of poupees (fashion dolls). One 1844 listing reads “Belton and Jumeau, manufacturers of undressed and dressed dolls for children’s toys and fashion dolls, rue Salle-au-Comte, 114, in Paris.”

Interestingly they prepared samples of their products to take to China in 1844 when China opened for trade with European manufacturers.

Theimer’s Encyclopedia of French dolls claims they parted ways in 1845, earlier than the orginal agreement.

Universal Exhibition of 1855

A French publication in 1856 wrote (translated) “M. P.-FR. JUMEAU (No. 8918), in Paris.-M. Jumeau exhibits dolls that retain the stamp of elegance and good taste that has always distinguished the products of this house, where they manufacture not only luxury dolls, but also ordinary dolls, with or without trousseaux, all of which are carefully dressed, and whose prices motivate the significant sales that he makes of them for France and for export”  (Rapports Jury Mixte International. Exposition Universelle de 1855. Paris: Imprimerie Impériale. 1856).

Jumeau, After Belton

The Annuaire-almanach du commerce lists Jumeau’s doll factory at an address of Mauconseil, 18 in 1857. Later in 1860 he advertises fashion dolls, dressed or undressed with leather covered bodies, trousseaus, as well as articulated dolls with porcelain heads boasting awards from 1849, 1851, and 1855. He also still exported dolls at this time.

According to Theimer, the doll maker Francois Gaultier supplied him with doll heads from 1860 to around 1872 (source unknown).

Bebes Incassables

In 1878 the new baby doll or bebe incassable dethroned the grand Parisian fashion doll! The French journal Figaro announced in December of 1878 that E. Jumeau, the inventor of the unbreakable baby doll, had won the Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. The writer went on to recommend the unbreakable doll to parents whose children are a bit turbulent. The article gave the address of 8, rue d’Anjou for E. Jumeau.

The company put the unbreakable baby doll, Bebe Incassable, up for sale for the first time in 1879. They claimed they sold more than 100,000 in 1882. Before the creation of their bebe incassable, the company only did about 150,000 francs a year , but after made millions. The factory boasted employing 500 workers, mostly women who could work from home molding the legs, arms, and torso of the doll bodies. (Panthéon de la Légion d’honneur, Lamathière, Théophile, page 144). Supposedly at this time the Bebe Incassable expelled German dolls from the French market.

One must be careful not to assume the term “Bebes Incassables” identifies only a Jumeau doll. “Bebes Incassable” was a category of commerce. One can find other names like Bru or Rabery-Delphieu listed under the category of “Bebes Incassables” in France’s Annual Almanac of Commerce. As a matter of fact the Guillard House (Maison Guillard, 4 rue neuve-des-petits-Champs, 4) used the term “bebes incassables” to identify dolls they sold back in 1862.

Human Eyes, Detached Ears, and Pearl Necklaces

The company advertised a factory making articulated dolls of articulated leather or wood, all marked with the Jumeau name. The same listing claimed that Bebe Jumeau, especially number 9 through 16, had human eyes, detached ears, wore a Paris pearl necklace and comb in their hair. One might assume the numbers are those found at the bottom of the back of the neck. The “human eyes” referred to the very human likeness with a very natural expression invented by Jumeau.

The doll body was made of molded cardboard (composition in today’s terms) giving the cardboard the appearance of wood. Strong rubber cording held the pieces together secured to a wooden cross beam inside the torso. Numerous workers gave the body two coats of whitewashing finish then sanded them down for a natural flesh colored trim. Skilled artisans sculpted the bisque heads. Carrier-Belleuse‘s name was found on a doll head at the factory in Montreuil.

In 1883 they claimed their dolls wore fashions made of wool, satin and toile, made with “perfect execution.” They go on to mention that they manufactured the porcelain doll heads in Montreuil-sous-Bois.

Click here to see an ad showing the unbreakable baby and a dressed Jumeau doll for sale as found in the magazine Au Bon Marche of 1886-1887. The bebe incassable wears a comb in her hair and a pearl necklace around her neck just as their ads claimed the doll would do. The ad says the dressed doll on the right wears satin.

More Awards

The Bebe Jumeau won the 1st class gold medal in New Orleans and the honorary diploma in Antwerp according to La Vie Parisienne (5 Dec. 1885). The company then uses this honor in many of their ads.

Bebe Jumeau’s Label

In 1887 a French article explained to their readers how to identify Bebe Jumeau. Bebe Jumeau’s chemise bore the name on a satin label with the words Bébé-Jumeau in gold letters. If the outfit was “dressed by the House” the doll had an armband on the left arm bearing the same inscription. (Le Moniteur de la Lozère, 11 Dec 1887, page 4.) Another article from the Matin-Salon in 1888 further described the satin label as “satin caroubier” or satin silk from carob which may indicate the color of the silk. Some called this armband the doll’s passport and instructed buyers to demand it to prevent them from buying fake imitations.

The same article boasted the public must demand this brand. They boasted it as “par excellence, unbreakable, elegant and graceful as possible, the national baby, the king of babies, the fashionable gift, finally the one that must be bought, and which falls on foreign competition.”

How Bebe Jumeau was Made in 1888

In 1888 the editors of the Matin-Salon publication visited the doll factory in Monlreuil-sous-Bois. At that time they reported 500 factory workers. The writers of an article in the Pantheon of Industry claimed that Emile Jumeau offered apprenticeships to milliners and seamstresses.

In 1888 the Matin-Salon wrote that the doll head was made of kaolin which workers rolled like clay into squares. Then they molded the clay and baked it in the oven. After baking they painted the lips and put in the eyes. The Vichy-Journal in 1885 described the eyes as “enamel.” Here they described how they made the ears separately from the ears.

The legs, arms, and torso were made of cardboard which they hardened and then painted pink. The limbs attached to the body with special rubber cording. After that, the head was placed on the body and the wig attached. Last of all the doll makers dressed the doll in a chemise and placed her in a box.

The writers of the Matin-Salon said they dressed the doll in the fashions of tomorrow. The Vichy-Journal claimed the doll wore a feathered hat in the lastest fashion, wool or silk dress invented by a Parisian couturier, golden kid shoes, red or blue stockings, suede gloves, a necklace around the neck, and pendants in the ears!

Even an American newspaper mentions the pearl necklace around the doll’s neck in 1889.

In 1890 Le Figaro Illustré shares a drawing representing four different Jumeau costumed dolls presented for sale at that time. The image offered an idea of the many different varieties of costumes found on the dolls.

Store Ads

The biggest stores in Paris sold the Bebe Jumeau. See some of the store ads below:

• The Menagere at an address of 20, Boulevard et Palais Bonne-Nouvelle, a Paris.
• Au Tapis Rouge at an address of 65 and 67 rue du Fauberg-Saint Martin, and rue du Chateau d’Eau 54, 55, & 58.
• Le Palais-Royal ad
• A toy ad in 1890 illustrates dolls wearing the Bebe Jumeau label on the front of their dresses. If you look very closely you can see it was written JUMO.

Talking Dolls and an American Registration

In the French Annual Almanac of Commerce Jumeau advertised a talking Bebe Jumeau with moving eyes. The phonograph mechanics inside Jumeau’s talking doll was constructed by Henri Lioret. The doll would speak, “Je suis bien contente, maman m’a promis d’al-Jer au théâtre, je vais entendre chanter, tra la, la, la, la” (I am very happy, mother promised me to go to the theater, I am going to hear singing, tra la, la, la, la.”)

In November of 1888 the company registered the BEBE JUMEAU trademark in the USA on November 27 in the category of games and toys. The famous trademark displays online publicly at the Library of Congress. The listing of the trademark registration found in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office states that the phrase was used since 1840.

1889 Paris Exposition

During the Grand Exposition of 1889 in Paris ads in some publication mentioned the JUMEAU dolls alongside the famous doll manufacturers of BRU and RABERY.

During this exposition Jumeau was featured in the Great Game of Bébé Jumeau picturing French and American flags held by two Bébés by the Eiffel Tower.

Danel et Cie, Lawsuit

Then in November 1890 Jumeau filed a lawsuit against M. Danel claiming unfair competition.

Danel who had once worked for Jumeau, left and joined with a Mr. Guepratte to undertake a similar business. In leaving he took registered Jumeau doll head molds and made new molds over the originals with the intent to use them to make dolls. According to the documents, Danel also took some of the other workers and tools with him promising the workers new benefits.

The judge in the end condemned Danel et Cie, Guepratte and Danel guilty of unfair competition. These days one might call it stealing intellectural or artistic property.

In 1888 Guepratte of “La Maison Danel et Cie” had an address of Rue Fontaine-au-Roi. Danel et Cie had an advertised address in 1890 at Rue de Bretagne, 55. In 1891 the Annual Almanac of Commerce shows a listing for a “Paris-Bebe” for Danel et Cie at an address of rue-de-Petites Ecuries, 3. Danel et Cie dissolved on the 29th of March 1892 along with his Paris-Bebe. Later in 1897 Jumeau advertises a Paris Bebe, without the hyphen.

The Paris-Bebe was a Jumeau counterfeit and the scandal was illustrated in an article or study done in 1895 regarding the lives of workers at these doll factories where the writer called “Paris-Bebe” an exact copy, in legal jargon, a counterfeit, a double of the Bebe Jumeau appearing together on the first page of catalogs with the Jumeau doll superior in execution and the counterfeit laughing with its lower price.

Dolls made by Danel et Cie may have the initials ED on the back which are sometimes confused with Etienne Denamur dolls. One should understand that the any ED doll resembling a JUMEAU doll face is the plagiarized Jumeau by Danel.

Warnings of Counterfeits in Ads

In 1893 an ad found in Le Palais-Royal journal reflects the impact of the Danel lawsuit. In the ad buyers receive warning to watch out for faked Jumeau doll.

Notice The Bebe Jumeau can only be obtained with difficulty: in certain houses it is absolutely necessary
demand it and rigorously monitor the brand. This difficulty is explained by the greater benefit than
leaves these houses with lesser-known articles of cheaper manufacture, and often even supplied by the Germans.
Having requested the BEBE JUMEAU you are assured of having “read the first French brand” certain to own a Baby which has: Beauty – Solidity – and whose price cannot vary since it is very well known commercially.

Le Palais Royal, 5 October 1893, page 1

1894 Evening Star Newspaper

The Evening Star newspaper in Washington D.D. told its readers that a Bebe Jumeau would cost anywhere from $2 to $40 and could come in sizes from 12 inches to the size of a real life three year old child. The writer explained the doll could call out “mama” and “papa” and had real eyebrows that year yet alone human hair wigs. But this year they could find the dolls with jointed wrists!

Bebe Series

In 1896 Jumeau advertised a series of Bebes which included Bebe Jumeau, Bebe Francais, Bebe Moderne, Bebe Miracle, Bebe Prodige, and Bebe Phonographe.

1899 SFBJ

The Societe de Francaise de Fabrication (SFBJ) formed by Fleischmann & Bloedel still promoted the Bebe Jumeau dolls even in 1928. Below is a tag used later by S.F.B.J. showing their continued use of the name in the early 20th century.

1899 Tragedy at the Factory

When SFBJ had newly taken over the Jumeau factory a tragic accident occurred with one of the pregnant workers whose skirt caught fire resulting in burning most of her body. The accident occurred at the 64, rue Francois-Arago address. The story made the newspapers mentioning how the doctor in the office refused to help care for her and preferred to continue writing prescriptions. It’s a similar story to the fire that happened at the Tanagra factory about 20 years later.

Jumeau Shoe Doll Marks

Dolls shoes manufactured by the Jumeau company include some markings such as the letters E.J. for Emile Jumeau, the image of a bee, and the words BEBE JUMEAU.

Recommended Resources

A great book for understanding the variations of the Jumeau dolls from the 1800s, in the opinion of this blog writer, is the Encyclopedia of French Dolls volumes I & II by Francois and Danielle Theimer. The books have marvelous photos and lots of details of French doll makers and a grand section dedicated to the Jumeau dolls.

Doll News magazine’s winter 2014 edition has an article (part 1) about the early (first series) Jumeau dolls. The great photographs help one recognize the unique characteristics, especially regarding the eyes, for identifying the early dolls.

Constance Eileen King wrote the book, “Jumeau Prince of Dollmakers” with beautiful photographs of dolls in original costumes. Sadly though it does not provide much help with doll marks or images of the bodies for learning to identify. One has to rely solely on studying the faces.

Further Reading

• See some other French Doll Marks here.
• See some French doll shoe markings here.
• If you would like to see other French doll trademarks, click here.