$6,463
Rare Bru Lady Doll with Voice Mechanism "Poupee Criante," France, c. 1870, swivel-neck lady with dark-lined blue glass eyes, closed mouth, pierced-in ears, pale even coloring, appears to be from the first patent granted Leon Casimir Bru, July 11, 1867, for a speaking doll; kid-covered carton torso houses pull-string mechanism, gusseted kid lower body with shapely legs, ht. 21 in. Literature: Francois Theimer, The Bru Book, p. 26, shows a marked Bru shoulder head doll with a body identical to that of this doll. The strings on that doll appear to emerge from the opposite side of the waist, but the impressed head mark confirms that the photo is printed in reverse. Both dolls have distinctive shapely calves, typical of Bru construction.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2003-04-12
