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January 18, 2020

3364-3371 FRANCE (Île-de-France) - Musée de la Poupée in Paris

3364 Two Bleuette dolls (left - 1920s, right - 1930)

The Musée de la Poupée was a private doll museum located in Paris, in a quiet alley in the very crowded Marais district, between the Pompidou Center and the Museum of Jewish Art and History, established in 1994 and closed in September 2017. It contained a permanent collection of more than 500 French dolls (toys, automatons, miniature mannequins, divination dolls and witchcraft figurines), an army of strange beauty that unveils mankind's universal fascination for self representation.

3365 Two Bleuette dolls (left - 1934-1940, right - 1928)

Made out of cloth, rubber, celluloid, wax, bisque, porcelain, plastic and even human hair, their bodies and their shapes defined an ideal of feminity that fluctuated through the canon of beauty of their era. Sometimes showcased in dioramas that mimic hausmanian cabinets, tea parties or kitchy seashores, the dolls reenact the illusion of life in the most bizarre of ways, stuck in timeless girly stereotypes. One room focused on doll-making and the materials used in dolls. The museum also presented temporary exhibits and lectures.

3366 A Bleuette doll (1941-1946)

Under the Second Empire, the doll has first represented the lady morphology. These rich and refined lady-dolls are particularly remarquable for their trousseau and accessories reflecting the fashion of their time. First made of wood and composition, they had a bisque (mat porcelain) head and a leather or wood body. In 1878 a new type of dolls appeared at the universal exhibition of Paris: the bisque headed "bebe" that represented from then on the child from 3 to 12 years old.

3367 Three Bleuette dolls (1946)

The "bebe's" birth is related to the incredible international development of French doll and toy industry. In 1899 the most important French doll makers associated through the SFBJ - Société Française de fabrication de bébés et jouets - in order to fight against the foreign competition and mainly the German one. The SFBJ production is outstanding for the exceptional series of "character bebes" with expressive faces and child or even baby bodies.

3368 Baby doll (1930s)

During the roaring twenties, new materials have been used in the doll industry : celluloïd, composition, papier-mâché, cloth, felt... Simoultaneously a new morphological type of doll raised on the market : the soft body baby representing the new born with a bald big head with side glancing eyes looking very realistic. Chidren's magazines also promoted dolls given as a gift such as Bleuette of La Semaine de Suzette which is probably the most famous with her rich trousseau that could be bought already made or could be sewn by little girls from the patterns published in the magazine.

3369 A Bleuette doll

During the second part of the 20th century, new plastic materials appeared in the doll industry and all the other ones were abandoned. On the other hand, the variety of the dolls of that era is amazing : classic dolls, baby dolls, brand new fashion dolls, soft body babies, caricature or funny dolls. The main firms still using celluloïd or rhodoïd at that time are Raynal, Petitcollin, Nobel, Convert, Urika, Marechal. The ones imposing with new plastic materials are Bella, Gégé, Clodrey and later Corolle. In 1951 the lady magazine Modes & Travaux sold its own dolls for which patterns were published monthly in order to dress them.

3370 A Bleuette doll (1927-1933)

Created by two passionate collectors, Guido and Samy Odin, father and son, the establishment has never benefited from any state subsidy or private aid, and closed its doors due to financial difficulties. After the closure of the museum, Samy Odin found new operating solutions in the same field. He continued to activated as specialist in ancient dolls, antiquarian dealer, author and speaker, as well as organizer of occasional exhibitions and events related to his specialties, under a new structure named Cherubim, which popularize the culture in the various representations of childhood, from yesterday to today.

3371 A Bleuette doll (1930)

From the installation of exhibitions all over the world to the purchase and sale of dolls and any other collectible object with a childlike image, from the organization of conferences, seminars and workshops to the proposal of trips and stays study for an informed public. But also the expertise of dolls, toys, old papers and specialized books, the publishing of reference books and articles, the writing of sales catalogs, up to coaching for collectors.

About the stamps
On the postcard 3364
The stamp is part of the series 1914 - 1918 WWI, The Time of Memory Has Come, about which I wrote here.  

On the postcard 3365
The first two stamps is part of the series Logos of French South and Antarctic Territory, about which I wrote here. The third stamp is part of the series Map of St. Pierre et Miquelon, about which I wrote here


The last stamp, depicting Myro jeanneli, was designed by Nelly Gravierand, being issued on January 2, 2018 by French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF).

On the postcard 3366
The stamp depicts a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

On the postcard 3367
The first stamp is part of the series Map of St. Pierre et Miquelon, about which I wrote here. The second is only a vignette from the series The 70th Anniversary of French Antarctic Expeditions, designed by Yves Beaujard and issued by French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF) on January 2, 2017. The third stamp is part of the series Flags, issued by French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF), about which I wrote here.


The last stamp, depicting Halirythus amphibius, was designed by Nelly Gravierand, being issued on January 2, 2017 by French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF).

On the postcard 3368
About the first stamp, issued to mark The 1000th Anniversary of Election Hugues Capet as King of France, I wrote here.


The second stamp depict Basel-Mulhouse Airport and was issued on March 13, 1982.


The third stamp was issued on June 4, 1977, to mark the 50th Anniversary of North Atlantic Flights.

The fourth stamp is part of the series Liberté de Gandon d'après Delacroix (1982-1990), about which I wrote here.


The fifth stamp, designed by Pierrette Lambert, depict a region of France, Poitou-Charentes, and was issued on December 6, 1975. 


The last stamp was issued on June 28, 1987 to honor the World Assembly of Repatriated French-Algerians.

On the postcard 3369


The stamps are part of the series Snowflakes Under the Microscope, issued on October 5, 2018.

On the postcard 3370


The stamps are part of the series Dogs in Art, designed by Etienne Théry and issued on February 2, 2018.

On the postcard 3371
About the stamp, issued on 1987, I wrote here.

References
Musée de la Poupée - Wikipedia
The Doll Museum - parismarais.com
Chérubins Paris - Samy Odin - Official website

Sender 3364, 3366: Jean Yves Gerlat
Sent from Lancey / Villard-Bonnot (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 19.01.2018 
Photo: Janne Le Moine / 2005 
Sender 3365, 3367: Jean Yves Gerlat
Sent from La Tronche (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 08.02.2018 
Photo: Janne Le Moine / 2005
Sender 3368, 3369, 3370, 3371: Jean Yves Gerlat
Sent from Lancey / Villard-Bonnot (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 25.11.2019
Photo: Janne Le Moine / 2005  

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