Child's Shop Window Mannequin – Maison François Gaultier, 19th Century

This life-size fashion mannequin is modeled after those used by Parisian department stores in the second half of the 19th century. Dressed in its costume, our mannequin is made of articulated wooden parts (legs, arms, hands). The head, made of two porcelain pieces, is stamped with the manufacturer's mark, François Gaultier, and the number 3, indicating the size. The blue eyes are made of glass, and the eyelashes, eyebrows, and mouth are hand-painted. The fabric body is padded. The legs are painted black, and the boots are outlined with engraved designs embellished with wooden buttons. Based in Charenton, in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, François Gaultier was in business from 1860 to 1895. From 1866 onward, François Gaultier was the main supplier to doll assemblers, even supplying the renowned manufacturer Jumeau. In 1872, Gaultier filed a patent for a new molding technique that included opening the eyes, thus improving the efficiency of the manufacturing process. François Gaultier is sometimes confused with another porcelain doll maker named Fernand Gauthier.