My partner, David, and I are “savers.” By this I mean that like our dearly departed friend John Darcy Noble who had his black belt in saving, we prefer not to dispose of

anything old. John saved seashells, scraps of foil paper no bigger than a postage stamp, hazy mirror, broken dollhouse furniture, and so on, and on, and on. From him we learned that a sheet of water stained and yellowed paper could prove to be invaluable in mending an antique paper doll or what have you. We also save photographs and slides, and we maintain a collection of images that includes practically every doll that we have ever owned, or handled.

Recently, our Carmel Doll Shop web designer has been kept busy transferring all of our two-dimensional images over to a digital format. Storing the photos digitally is so much easier, and even better, we have access to the images so much faster. The designer tells us that our doll photo archive contains well over 20,000 images, so the chances are good that if you mention a particular type of doll, we have handled it. This exercise in scanning has been somewhat like watching your nearly 30-year career in dolls pass before your eyes.

As a doll collector, I am sure that you have been asked that inevitable question while sharing your dolls with the uninitiated. “What kind of doll is your favorite?” For me, that particular query is a close second to the number one question I am asked as not only a dealer, but also as a male collector of dolls, “How exactly did you get into this? It must be a very interesting story.” I usually reply that it actually isn’t a very interesting story and quickly change the subject back to the interests of the customer. But now that I think about it, that fi rst question is a diffi cult one to answer, and liken it to asking a father to pick his favorite child. The answer to the second question remains not that interesting.

I collect antique dolls, but am collect antique dolls, but am collect interested in many different kinds of interested in many different kinds of interesteddolls, from antique to modern, but in each category I have to admit that I defi nitely have my favorites. Most of the time I keep this sort of information to myself, or share it with just a small circle of friends and suppliers. I learned early on that the collector who broadcasts to everyone they know exactly what types of dolls they are looking for, ends up competing with themselves in the long run. To explain, a special doll could change hands multiple times before it gets to the hands of the customer who planted the seed of desire in the fi rst place, because each dealer thinks that they have “the customer” for the doll.

Left: Following the designs of Dehors’ 1866 patent, this bisque head is able to turn not only left and right, but also up and down, while the doll shown above her bears the earlier cup and saucer swivel neck mechanism.

Right: Note the exquisite modeling details upon the breastplate. Dehors ladies have been found dressed in some of the finest clothing of the era, and the attire given this elegant example is no exception. She is costumed in a shade of tulle referred to as “Eugénie blue.”

A Face in

Left: Following the designs of Dehors’ 1866 patent, this bisque head is able to turn not only left and right, but also up and down, while the doll shown above her bears the earlier cup and saucer swivel neck mechanism.

Right: Note the exquisite modeling details upon the breastplate. Dehors ladies have been found dressed in some of the finest clothing of the era, and the attire given this elegant example is no exception. She is costumed in a shade of tulle referred to as “Eugénie blue.”

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There are doll examples that are considered among the super rare by collectors and I am proud to state that we have been fortunate enough to have handled more than one of any of them. These could be the dolls that remain in a class all to themselves and we collectors might only see one of them every few years, if that. Those dolls are the ones that I want too, but please don’t tell anyone.

At the beginning of our career in antique dolls, at a time when it seemed most collectors were not interested in French fashion dolls, fashions became the focus of our collection. We have bought and sold thousands of fashions over the years and I confess that we enjoyed them all. In their passing through our hands, we learned about them and then we sprinkled them all over the world into the doll cabinets of other collectors.

Having the opportunity to handle countless fashion dolls, combined with this recent trip down memory lane via the photo scanner, I am ready to claim my most favorite fashion dolls, and they would be those masterworks created by Auguste Dehors. A very limited number of these dolls, so regal with their imperial portrait faces, have survived. This phenomenon can easily be chalked up to the fact that not very many existed in the fi rst place.

I suppose that I have always been fascinated by the “different” face, and am more attracted by a stunning face, or elegant face, than the pretty face. Some dolls, and people for that matter, look the same in every photo, from every angle, and don’t exhibit a “bad” side. I am more attracted to the face that owns the camera when you peer through the viewfi nder. In my opinion, a Dehors doll not only owns the camera, but also

the CrowdThere are doll examples that are considered among the super rare

by collectors and I am proud to state that we have been fortunate enough to have handled more than one of any of them. These could be the dolls that remain in a class all to themselves and we collectors might only see one of them every few years, if that. Those dolls are the ones that I want too, but please don’t tell anyone.

At the beginning of our career in antique dolls, at a time when it seemed most collectors were not interested in French fashion dolls, fashions became the focus of our collection. We have bought and sold thousands of fashions over the years and I confess that we enjoyed them all. In their passing through our hands, we learned about them and then we sprinkled them all over the world into the doll cabinets of other collectors.

Having the opportunity to handle countless fashion dolls, combined with this recent trip down memory lane via the photo scanner, I am ready to claim my most favorite fashion dolls, and they would be those masterworks created by Auguste Dehors. A very limited number of these dolls, so regal with their imperial portrait faces, have survived. This phenomenon can easily be chalked up to the fact that not very many existed in the fi rst place.

I suppose that I have always been fascinated by the “different” face, and am more attracted by a stunning face, or elegant face, than the pretty face. Some dolls, and people for that matter, look the same in every photo, from every angle, and don’t exhibit a “bad” side. I am more attracted to the face that owns the camera when you peer through the viewfi nder. In my opinion, a Dehors doll not only owns the camera, but also

the Crowdthe CrowdBy Michael CanadasBy Michael Canadas

ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR JANUARY 2014 19

Although today we today might be intimidated by the splendor of a nineteenth century salon, the Dehors doll seems right at home. Remarkably, this lady does conceal a secret, as she is a candy container. We have never seen another Dehors quite like her. Lift her up to reveal her lower half, which holds the secret container. Note that her bisque legs are quite lovely.

into it in 1848. Interestingly, Dehors father in law, Nicolas Schanne, for whom he worked, is forever immortalized in the story La Vie de Bohème, as the carefree toy maker Parpignol. But as we all know, “carefree” and “business” are two words that do not always mix happily. It can be inferred that their relationship may have been an unstable one, because in 1853, Dehors formed a partnership with Delphine Delondre, the widow of Joseph Deschevailles who had operated a successful toy export and import company until his death. Dehors’ role was to operate the business, but the partnership was short-lived. The next business partnership, one with François Chatel, was also short-lived, and after the division, Dehors went into business on his own around 1860.

As they say, timing in life is everything. The year 1862 found Dehors and his wife Alexandrine working in a third fl oor space on Rue des Vieilles Haudriettes. Described as a wholesale fancy goods manufacturer specializing in toys, Madame Dehors was left in charge of the doll department, including the dressing of the dolls. But it must have been their imperial portrait dolls that provided the fame and notoriety in their time and it continues to this day.

the shelf in the doll cabinet upon which it stands, easily dominating the doll cabinet.

The dolls created in the 1860s by the Dehors fi rm, a time that coincidentally marked not only the height of France’s Second Empire, but also the golden age of French doll-making, are without question, an acquired taste. Not a lot is known of the man himself, but like many makers of dolls and toys, Dehors fell into the business by marrying

20 ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR JANUARY 2014

These very special portrait dolls possess well-sculpted bisque heads and breastplates. Some have uniquely sculpted arms, while others were fi tted with the standard bisque arms of the day - arms that would have been available to any doll assembler in Paris. Dehors’ fi rm was what we would term an assembler as well, meaning that it did not make the bisque parts in house, but were ordered to particular specifi cations and then put together in the workshop.

In 1866, Dehors patented a particular mechanism centering upon neck movement which utilized a wooden cup and metal screw. In the patent drawing that was submitted, one can clearly see that the fi rm was at the time producing the portrait heads. With his patent, Dehors challenged the mighty Huret fi rm - not for the idea of neck movement itself, but for the sheer novelty of a moving head in a realistic manner – one that could tilt forward and back, as well as side-to-side.

In examining all of the earliest head models to which we have had personal access, one constant has

Some Dehors ladies were provided the most expressive hands that can found on a French fashion doll. Even better, the arms can be posed in such a way that the hands can easily hold things - in this case, a tiny ring that matches the rest of her jewels.

Here we have a bisque shoulderhead doll that not only displays an elegant side profi le, but also illustrates the lack of ear piercing that is common to the dolls. Photo courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop Archives

Some Dehors dolls, such as this pretty Miss, can be found dressed as young girls in the enfantine manner, however in our experience, most are found dressed as adult women. Photo courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop Archives

This elegant portrait of the Empress of France utilizes one of the fi rst known types of neck movements, the so called “cup and saucer”, and one that predates Dehors’ own 1866 patent. We have seen a variety of eye colors and types used in Dehors dolls, from paperweight examples to fl at cobalt eyes. Note that this lady was given brown eyes – quite a rarity in the world of fashion dolls of any type.

ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR JANUARY 2014 21

It is interesting to note that this Dehors gentleman has a very unique, all-leather body, but there are wooden joints present that enable him complete movement. We have never seen this particular body type used anywhere else. It goes without saying that his charms are in high demand by the ladies in the doll cabinet.

This gentleman’s eyebrows are painted an unusual shade of russet, and represent a color that we have not noticed on any other fashion example. His wig and facial hair are in a coordinating shade of goatskin, while his eyes are the early fl at type in a piercing shade of cobalt blue.

It is not every day that we are witness to a true French fashion male. This fact is proven by the muscular shoulderplate that he possesses.

become clear - none of the dolls have pieced ears, neither the ladies nor the gentlemen. Like other dolls of their era with non-pierced ears, we suppose the ladies improvised and simply wore their earrings suspended from the edges of their wigs.

Like many other doll assembling fi rms at the time, Dehors was also experimenting with different types of bodies, so there is not one style of body in particular that we can associate with the Dehors product. The same can be said about the bisque arms that the dolls were sometimes given, because I have counted at least fi ve different varieties utilized.

One very interesting doll that went through our hands many years ago was a shoulderhead model that was clearly marked A DEHORS. To our surprise, while examining the doll, we discovered a folded sheet of paper inside the head. We quickly realized that the sheet was a copy of the patent papers for a doll body, and the maker of the body illustrated was Marie Cruchet. This discovery would lead me to believe that Dehors supplied the Cruchet fi rm with heads for a time.

Yet another aspect that set the Dehors fi rm apart from others is the fact that they produced male dolls, meaning

not just dolls dressed in men’s clothing, but dolls with true masculine features such as painted moustaches, and sculpting that included muscular shoulderplates. Conversely, although the majority of the ladies we have seen were given shoulderplates that can be found on a typical fashion dolls of the time, others were given molded breasts, which add an air of elegance, especially when dolls are costumed in ballgowns with tight fi tting, low cut bodices. Although I love the dolls from this time in the Dehors history, I wonder if the appeal that radiates to collectors today was felt by the children who might have played with them as toys years ago? Let’s face it; many of the dolls’ faces bear a superior look, which could be conceived as intimidating to some children.

Obviously it was the special creative touches such as the ones mentioned above that helped the Dehors fi rm win a bronze medal at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, an award which marked that place in time in which Dehors’ dolls were at their pinnacle with a lasting honor. Another pinnacle, one that would be reached over a century later, was their value in fi nancial terms. Did you know that the fi rst French fashion doll to sell in the six-fi gure range was a Dehors?

22 ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR JANUARY 2014

Edward could, in my opinion, compete for the title of the rarest of Auguste Dehors’ dolls. He was given a molded and painted mustache, leaving no question about his gender!

Clothing for male fashion dolls requires perfect tailoring and Edward’s costume exhibits that trait. Plus, the lucky fellow owns a trunk full of equally fi ne clothing, along with all of the things a stylish man needs to attract the ladies. Here Edward enjoys a plein air repast with

his canine companion.

Illustrating the exceptionally elegant movements provided by the 1866 swivel neck patent is a spectacular example of a Dehors lady. Placed on a classic leather body, she was blessed with lovely, long, bisque arms and a superb wig. Sumptuous hairstyles were also a calling card of the Dehors fi rm it seems - not to mention the fabulous faces, of which one is provided here. Photo courtesy of Denise Buese Collection

ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR JANUARY 2014 23

Passing time found Auguste Dehors making more changes in business partnerships, a fact which could have contributed to the growing number of dolls possessing the patented swivel neck mechanism being given a more homogenized look. Another factor to consider is that after 15 years, the Dehors neck movement patent became public domain, meaning that anyone could use it. It appears that many doll assemblers did so, which would also help explain how today it seems that every other fashion doll includes the name “Dehors” to refer to not the doll’s face, but only to the mechanics of the neck movement!

The Dehors fi rm would go on to display its dolls and wares at fairs staged around the world, where many awards were won and high praise was received for their work in the toy business.

In 1880, Dehors not only took on a new partner in his toy business, a new son in law, but also branched out into the world of photography by offering accessories and equipment relating to that fi eld. By 1898, according

to research by François Theimer, it appears that Dehors had abandoned his toys for the photography business exclusively, and in 1899 Auguste Dehors passed away.

It is diffi cult for me to fathom that Dehors’ dolls, these time capsules of grace and elegance, are nearing 150 years of age. It is clear that time may fade some things, but the glory of the Second Empire, and the glory of the golden age of French doll-making still radiates brightly from these sublime dolls. Just as they did in the beginning, their faces continue to exude confi dence, as they know who they are, where they have come from, and that they will never be considered simply another “face in the crowd.”

In my opinion, Dehors’ work represents the best that France gave to the world of dolls. Each masterwork that I have had the honor to view, handle and study, I count as experiences that have been among my greatest privileges.

I extend my thanks to François and Danielle Theimer for their research into the dolls of Auguste Alexandre Dehors.

Eugénie the Empress of France reigned as the artistic muse of her countrymen and without a doubt also served as inspiration for the Dehors imperial portrait lady dolls that helped to make the fi rm memorable.

Could it be that even the Jumeau fi rm felt the artistic pressure that Dehors applied to the doll industry with their imperial portrait dolls? As exemplifi ed here, Jumeau attempted their version of a male with similar facial painting. The moustache and shadowing might fool someone into believing that this gentlemen could be a Dehors, but the fatal clue? Yes, the pierced ears are a give away, but their presence makes this handsome soldier no less stunning.

24 ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR JANUARY 2014