Before German dollmaking companies such as Armand Marseille and Simon and Halbig ruled the bisque dollmaking world in the late 1800s, French bisque dollmakers produced some of the most beautiful and artistic bisque dolls ever made. French bisque dollmaking had two somewhat distinct periods—the first period was defined by fashion dolls (also called poupees) and the second period was defined by bebes. Fashion dolls were made to represent ladies—the dolls were lovely in their own right, but they were made more exceptional by the varied and detailed clothing and accessories that were made for them as well. In fact, during the late 1860s, there were many shops in France devoted to creating the clothing and access, and they were dressed in very detailed reproductions of current fashions, and they also often had exceptional accessories--shoes, hats, games, sewing necessaires and more. Bebes were dolls of children—trousseaus of clothing and accessories were not the point of bebes. It is quite difficult to choose the top French antique doll brands…the first two, Jumeau and Bru, are easy picks, but picking the top companies after that is not as easy. Jumeau and Bru were two of the companies that made both French fashion dolls as well as bebes. Although some of the other companies on my list also made both French fashion dolls and bebes, only Jumeau and Bru seemed to be extremely well known for both types of dolls. You can see several maps of France, with locations mentioned in this article at About.com’s Travel France site.

1. Jumeau

Jumeau dolls are often considered the ultimate in antique bisque dolls. The dolls have a distinctive style, with large almond-shaped eyes and detailed facial painting. The Jumeau company was founded by Pierre Francois Jumeau in the 1840s. Initially the dolls were made of papier mache, but by the end of the 1840s they started making bisque dolls. Most of the dolls were French fashion dolls until the 1870s, when the firm was led by Emile Louis Jumeau--the second generation of the family to make dolls. Jumeau made dolls until 1899, when it became part of SFBJ (Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets--see below). Jumeau dolls are insanely popular with antique doll collectors…it is rare to find a Jumeau doll that does not sell for at least several thousand dollars today.More »

2. Bru

Bru dolls are as highly thought of as Jumeau dolls…and, since Bru bebes are much harder to find than Jumeau bebes, they are worth even more today, often over $10,000 for an early Bru Bebe. Bru Jne. & Cie began making dolls in 1866 and also continued until it became part of SFBJ. The most iconic Bru doll is the Bru Jne. Bebe—dolls with exaggerated but artistically painted featured, with kid bodies and bisque hands. Bru also made poupees, as did nearly all the French companies that started making dolls in the 1869s. Bru also was known for their patented dolls which had special features…they made a nursing Bru (Bebe Teteur), an eating Bru (Bebe Gourmand), and a walking Bru (Bebe Marchand) as well as many others. Beginning collectors often have trouble identifying whether a doll is from Jumeau or Bru (or another French company) but after study, collectors find that each brand of doll has a distinctive look, especially in the facial features, all its own.More »

3. SFBJ

The Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets (SFBJ) was formed in 1899, in response to the massive production of bisque dolls by German doll companies. The French companies found it difficult to compete with the German companies due to the cheaper costs of the German production. To try to fend off the German competition as long as possible, most of the great French doll companies, including Jumeau, Bru, Gaultier and others, joined to form one larger company known today as SFBJ. The quality of dolls made by SFBJ varies from great to, well, not so great, as this was a large company that produced millions of dolls during its history—in fact, SFBJ was in existence in one form or another until the early 1960s. SFBJ is known for some very beautiful character dolls in the early 1900s. Additionally, a very notable doll produced by SFBJ that is eagerly collected today is Bluette, a doll created for sewing and which had her own magazine, Semaine de Suzette.

4. Steiner

The Jules Nicholas Steiner company was best known for its bebes. Created in 1855 in Paris, France, the company produced dolls until 1908. Today, collectors love Steiner for their Figure series of Bebes, some of which are quite rare. Steiner is also known for the Bebe Gigoteur, a toddler doll that kicks and cries with a key-winding mechanism.

5. Huret

Huret is best known for being one of the first French companies (along with Rohmer) to produce fashion dolls. These first poupees were produced in the 1850s. Maison Huret was one of the most exclusive makers of French Fashion dolls and costumes and accessories--in fact, the creations of Adelaide Huret are so highly thought of by collectors today Huret dolls and items are very expensive--poupees marked Huret easily can cost over $15,000, and even accessories marked Huret can top $1,000.