French bisque dolls from the same era
as the German bisque can also be found
occasionally in this outfit. This 14-inch girl is
marked "5/F". She has an open mouth with
brown eyes and dark brown mohair wig.
There are circles of metallic beads on each
side of her face that are mounted with wire
onto her cap. She wears French wooden
shoes (sabots) and carries a white linen bag
draped over her navy wool jacket. A basket
is strapped to her back.
Below: The last example of a fisherwoman is
this little 5-inch French miss. With the typical
look of a doll produced by SFBJ (Sociètè
française de fabrication de bèbés et jouets of
Paris and Montreuil-sous-Bois, France from
1922 on) she wears the light tan outfit of a
fisherwoman with lace cap. She has a brass
bead in either side of her face and a lace
shawl crossed over her bodice. Her crude
composition body - jointed at the neck,
shoulders, and hips - has painted boots.
with a tuck or two to keep the fabric from getting wet plus a
jacket with a colored silk handkerchief crossed over in front and
tied in back. There may also be a muslin cap with a frill (lace),
black stockings and low shoes. Costumes from Étretat (in the
Normandie region) included a different type cap that has flaps
the reach nearly to the shoulder, a bright colored woolen skirt,
and jacket with a handkerchief around the neck.
An early reference photograph of these dolls is found in Peeps
at the World's Dolls by H. W. Canning-Wright, published in 1922
( French Fisherfolk Dolls page 40). What a wonderful snapshot in
time these dolls give us.
All dolls from the collection of Rosemary Deal unless noted by author.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Fall 2016