Very Fine American Cloth Brown-Eyed "Philadelphia Baby" for J.B. Sheppard Store

21" (53 cm.) All-cloth doll with firmly-shaped and oil-painted facial features, brown painted hair with feathered details, deeply-sculpted eye sockets with large brown painted eyes, feathered brows, shaded nostrils, closed mouth with very full lips, blushed cheeks, stitch-jointing at shoulders, hips and knees, oil-painted lower arms and legs with painted rosy finger and toe nails (antique costume included). Condition: generally excellent. Comments: the doll was commissioned by the J.B. Sheppard department store of Philadelphia in 1892; its designer and maker remain a mystery although some studies have suggested that the design was the winning creation of an art school competition. Value Points: wonderfully-preserved state of the rare American doll, with superb painting, a veritable work of art comparable to wall portraits of the era.