French Cloth Dolls-Venus
Adrian and Laure Lea Carvaillo in 1915 France, used his skills as a hat maker to work with fabric and created La Venus dolls.
His dolls were trademarked in 1923. By 1924 he patented a doll with a sleeping eye mechanism in which the eye was painted
on the cloth but a thin metal eyelid dropped over the eye when the doll was "sleeping". None of these have been found to
date. Adrien died in 1925 and the firm was continued with his wife and two sons. During this time the faces were all made of
pressed cotton and are now referred to as doll type 1. The dolls came in 15,18, and 21 inches.
Venus Doll Type I Venus Doll Type II
The dolls may have a foot stamp of "Venus Marque deposee".
In 1933 Laure retired and sold the firm to Marcel Desaulte. At this time the trademark has a small d on it as in the tag on this
doll. This was the beginning of the felt head dolls. These felt dolls were successful against their rival Raynal dolls as they
were "probably made by same artist" according to Dominique Pennegues. One distinguishing feature of the dolls is the
celluloid hands. Raynal hands are long and flat while the Venus doll hands are gently curved. There were two molds used
between 1933 and 1935.
Raynal celluloid hand Venus cloth hand Venus celluloid hand
Unusual Venus dolls include those made in 1931 for the Exposition Coloniale which included a black cloth doll and those made
in 1934 which included dolls in ethnic costumes and fairy tale characters. In 1935, the world was in love with Shirley Temple
and Venus created a look alike baby and then toddler.
During this time, Venus dolls had heads made of felt but their hands could be of cloth, celluloid or rhodoid. Shoes may be felt,
leather with Venus Paris imprinted on the sole, leather attached with a ribbon or oilcloth.
Production of the Venus cloth dolls was discontinued in 1939 due to the war restrictions. After the war, as did many doll
makers, Desautel revived his company but with rhodoid, not cloth, heads.
Pennegues, Dominique. "La Venus" French Cloth Dolls, Antique Doll Collector Feb 1007 pp18-25. There is a picture of this
doll in the article.
His dolls were trademarked in 1923. By 1924 he patented a doll with a sleeping eye mechanism in which the eye was painted
on the cloth but a thin metal eyelid dropped over the eye when the doll was "sleeping". None of these have been found to
date. Adrien died in 1925 and the firm was continued with his wife and two sons. During this time the faces were all made of
pressed cotton and are now referred to as doll type 1. The dolls came in 15,18, and 21 inches.
Venus Doll Type I Venus Doll Type II
The dolls may have a foot stamp of "Venus Marque deposee".
In 1933 Laure retired and sold the firm to Marcel Desaulte. At this time the trademark has a small d on it as in the tag on this
doll. This was the beginning of the felt head dolls. These felt dolls were successful against their rival Raynal dolls as they
were "probably made by same artist" according to Dominique Pennegues. One distinguishing feature of the dolls is the
celluloid hands. Raynal hands are long and flat while the Venus doll hands are gently curved. There were two molds used
between 1933 and 1935.
Raynal celluloid hand Venus cloth hand Venus celluloid hand
Unusual Venus dolls include those made in 1931 for the Exposition Coloniale which included a black cloth doll and those made
in 1934 which included dolls in ethnic costumes and fairy tale characters. In 1935, the world was in love with Shirley Temple
and Venus created a look alike baby and then toddler.
During this time, Venus dolls had heads made of felt but their hands could be of cloth, celluloid or rhodoid. Shoes may be felt,
leather with Venus Paris imprinted on the sole, leather attached with a ribbon or oilcloth.
Production of the Venus cloth dolls was discontinued in 1939 due to the war restrictions. After the war, as did many doll
makers, Desautel revived his company but with rhodoid, not cloth, heads.
Pennegues, Dominique. "La Venus" French Cloth Dolls, Antique Doll Collector Feb 1007 pp18-25. There is a picture of this
doll in the article.
Photo courtesy Dominique Pennegues
