Antique 20" Tete Jumeau #8 Bébé Jumeau DEP Diplôme d'Honneur Doll

For sale is this charming French-made porcelain bisque head doll with a jointed composition body made by famed maker Jumeau. She measures about 20 inches tall. The back of her head closer to the nape is marked Tete Jumeau 8; by prying up her wig a little, I can see "DEP" incised closer to the crown. I'm told by a knowledgeable eBayer that this indicates that her head was likely made by Simon + Halbig. On her back is a sticker marked Bébé Jumeau Diplôme d'Honneur . Jumeau began making dolls in the 1840s. M y late great aunt, from whose 1972 estate and antique shop this came, believed this girl was from the 1890s, as you will see on the tag she affixed. However, she may be of later date. This doll has a truly lovely, glowing porcelain bisque complexion, rosy cheeks (with a bit of paint loss on the left cheek), rosebud lips, pearly teeth and the most gorgeous big blue sleep eyes . The paint on her eyelids looks a bit scratched. She has long, softly waving auburn brown hair. It is rather mussed with age. This very pretty girl wears a beautiful eyelet and lace trimmed cotton dress that ties with a bow at the back (it is also straight-pinned at the back), but sadly it is quite stained - both all-over tea staining and some darker brown spots. Her underthings are hemstitched cotton voile with delicate lace and in much better condition. She has lace-up kidskin shoes (one is missing its heel) that *may* be original - I'm not sure - but the cotton socks are of a more modern date. I removed the right sock and shoe and the paint loss on the toes of that foot is quite bad. Main condition issues: I undressed the doll down to her bloomers and you can see that her jointed compo body was taped around the bust - something I have seen on other Jumeau dolls. That tape has long since lost its adhesiveness, so the upper chest and torso are almost two separate pieces now. For that reason, I did not attempt to get this doll fully out of her clothes, and she will need repair. The other big condition issue for this doll is that her body paint is cracked and shedding - as noted, when I removed one sock and shoe, I discovered serious paint loss on her toes, and she is losing paint elsewhere. Treat her with care. Please see the photos for details and don't be shy with questions! Buyer pays shipping. I will pack and ship very carefully for you, insured. I do my best to research and describe my items as carefully and accurately as I can. If you see an error or discrepancy in a listing, please let me know! However, all of my sales are as-is. Please view all photos and ask questions in advance, as I do not accept returns except in the case of damage in transit, which must be documented thoroughly. I ask for damaged items to be returned to me.