Doll
PeriodCirca 1880 - 1890
Place MadeParis, France
MediumBisque porcelain, composition, glass; silk, satin, cotton, lace, leather, metal
Dimensions18 × 8.5 × 5 in. (45.7 × 21.6 × 12.7 cm)
SignedStamped in light blue on the lower back is "JUMEAU. MEDAILLE D'OR. PARIS." The number "8" is impressed on the nape of the neck, denoting the Jumeau size grade.
ClassificationsDolls
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Cornelius C. Clayton, 1940
Object number1505
DescriptionA doll with a bisque porcelain had, light brown eyebrows, inset brown glass eyes, small closed mouth, pierced earlobes, and a brown human hair wig. The bisque head is attached to a composition body with ball jointed shoulders, elbows, and knees. The hands feature molded separate fingers. The doll is dressed in a pale blue-green silk satin dress with a smocked bodice, long sleeves edged with lace, and a silk lace collar. The doll also wears a white linen petticoat and knickers, all lace edged. Tan knitted socks and brown leather shoes with buckled straps complete the outfit.Curatorial RemarksThe Jumeau dollmaking establishment, begun in about 1842 by Pierre Jumeau, was during its heyday one of the largest producers of fine-quality dolls in the world. Jumeau won an Honorable Mention in the 1844 Paris Exposition of French Industry. At the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, the Jumeau firm was awarded a medal for its doll dresses. The company continued to display its wares at exhibitions in Paris and London in 1855 and 1862 respectively, winning medals of excellence both times. The company began its production with dolls "made of sheepskin stuffed with sawdust and china heads." Soon after, the company introduced the soft bisque porcelain heads, with both composition and kid leather for bodies. In 1876 the firm was awarded a gold medal at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition for its superior quality and excellent workmanship. Between 1876 and 1878, Pierre retired and his son Emile stepped in to run the company. In 1899, Jumeau merged with other French dollmaking factories to form the Societe Francaise de Fabrication de Bebes et Jouets.NotesThis doll belonged to sisters Viola D. (1878 - 1889) and Lillian P. Clayton (1882 - 1889). The sisters were two of five children of Cornelius C. Clayton (1840- 1918) and Laura Hulse Clayton (1832 - 1926). Cornelius was born in Freehold and went into business with his father-in-law Ralph Hulse. In the spring of 1876, Clayton opened his own dry goods store in the Ocean House Hotel in Ocean Grove on Main Street. His store offered clothing, accessories, and much else to appeal in large part to the crowds flocking to Ocean Grove and neighboring shore resorts including Asbury Park and Long Branch. Clayton was immediately successful. The Jumeau doll may well have been from his store's own stock. Tragedy struck Ocean Grove and the Clayton household in particular in the early summer of 1889, when an outbreak of diptheria resulted in the deaths of eleven year old Viola and her sister seven year old Lillian barely a week apart.
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