Jumeau Doll with Clothing & Booklet, ca. 1880
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GUEST:
My grandmother received the doll from her great-aunt in 1935, when she was nine. My grandmother kept the doll for one generation and it was to be passed to the next daughter. Well, my grandmother had a son, my father, and then I was born, and when I turned nine, that was my birthday present, was this doll.
APPRAISER:
And do, do you have daughters?
GUEST:
I do have a daughter now. Who is five.
APPRAISER:
Great. One of the fascinating things that was with the collection was the letter.
GUEST:
When the doll was passed to my grandmother at the age of nine, her great-aunt wrote a letter as if the doll is speaking. And the, the letter starts out: "To Alice Lillian, my little mistress-to-be." And it explains as if the doll, um, started her journey in France and traveled to New York City and then was placed in Macy's, and how she lived in Macy's, but could not speak English; she only spoke French, and could not communicate with the other dolls.
APPRAISER:
Well, what you have is a doll made by the company of Jumeau. This particular model was made between 1880 and 1885.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The person at that time at the head of the company was Émile Jumeau. So, often the dolls were marked E. Jumeau. I looked under the back of this doll's head. This one just has a number, a number eight.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Sometimes they were marked with the company's name. Sometimes they weren't. When they're not marked, this doll is referred to as a portrait Jumeau. What's interesting about this doll is... her entire wardrobe, which covers different periods.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
For example, this little dress here was probably the earliest, and, and probably was very contemporary to the time she was made. The wig originally would have been lamb or goat hair. Very short, kind of white hair. So this wig was probably replaced in the latter part of the 19th century, early 20th century. This particular doll won medals at doll fairs, and, uh, they won a gold medal. And I don't want to take her clothes off to show that, but on the back of her torso will be marked "Jumeau, gold medal, Paris." I think one of the greatest things that you have here is this little book. On the top up here, it says, "Letter of Bébé Jumeau to her little mother."
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
On the front. The interesting thing is, it has the little mother, or the little child, stomping on the doll. I don't know the significance of that. (laughs)
GUEST:
Okay. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
This particular doll is a very desirable doll on the doll market today, any of the early Jumeaus. And because you have all of these wonderful things and the accessories, I would say on today's market, very easily, you'd be able to sell it for $18,000 to $20,000.
GUEST:
Wow. Oh, well, thank you.
APPRAISER:
And, um, I just hope your little daughter will be loving it as much as you did.
GUEST:
She does, and she's looking forward to receiving it. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
APPRAISER:
You're welcome. (both laughing)
Appraisal Details
"I am not a fighter but I assure you, Mademoiselle, that if I find myself one day face to face with one of them, I will break it like glass, this cardboard baby that smells of tallow and wax. Ah! I am a true French baby!"
In anticipation of this appraisal’s re-airing in the 2021 Vintage Orlando, Hour 1 episode, ROADSHOW conducted further research to ensure that we accurately answered the question: Who exactly is “stomping” on the doll?
According to the 1980 book The Jumeau Doll by Margaret Whitton, each doll – or “bebé” as they were also called – came with several booklets and games. In one of those booklets, titled “Letter of a Jumeau Baby to Her Little Mother,” the doll warns her new child-owner that if she were to receive an “imperfect doll” she must:
“Destroy immediately this trash. It is good only for those frightful German babies (dolls).”
Beyond its obvious national chauvinism, the message is clear: If any imperfections are found in the doll, someone should destroy it.
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