Bébé Boy Doll in a "Pétit Prince" Costume by Christian Dior
Designer
Jumeau, Émile-Louis
(French, 1843 - 1910)
Designer
Christian Dior
(French, founded 1946)
Dateca. 1884
OriginFrance
MediumBisque porcelain head with brown glass eyes, wig of blond human hair, composition and painted wood body, about 1884; costume about 1962
Dimensions24 in. (61 cm)
ClassificationsDoll
Credit LineGift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Object number2020.3
Label TextJumeau & Cie, Émile-Louis Jumeau
(French, 1843–1910, designer of doll)
Christian Dior
(French, 1946–present, designer of costume)
Bébé Boy Doll in a "Pétit Prince" Costume by Christian Dior
Bisque porcelain head with brown glass eyes, wig of blond human hair, composition and painted wood body, about 1884; costume about 1962.
Marked: Déposé E. 12 J, (head); Jumeau Médaille d'Or Paris, (body); Christian
Dior (costume).
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III, 2020.3
This doll came from the collection of the American heiress Huguette Clark (1910–2011). A regular customer of the new French fashion house Christian Dior, she persuaded the couturier in 1959 to create two costumes for her antique Jumeau doll to be dressed as the "Little Prince" (Pétit Prince), after the childrens' book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Once suitable silk and brocade fabrics were identified, the costumes were completed in 1962. By then, they included a coat matching the pink brocade vest that had delighted the collector upon receipt of the finished garments and custom boots.
Status
On viewRochard, Antoine Edmond (French, b. 1836)
about 1868