antique baby dolls
French bébés were the first antique baby dolls to be made, and quite a surprise to the market, since until that time, dolls were to represent adults.
During the nineteenth century there was a tendency to make fashion dolls, which of course represented adult women mostly. Towards the second half of the century, the French started to produce dolls which resembled children and babies, better known nowadays as the antique baby dolls or the French bébés.
These baby like dolls were the peak of the industry, as we may see now that baby dolls are a huge part of the doll market. Jumeau, Bru and Steiner are just a few names to mention when it comes to top quality antique baby dolls. They were the first ones to make these innovative dollies and used exquisite materials and clothing pieces that were representations of what children of the time wore.
After the French innovated with this idea, and conquered the market (targeting the wealthier portion of France and Europe) the German’s took over the market, basically because their quality was very similar, but offered better, more affordable prices.