I noticed this interesting bisque doll by Lee Ed up on Ebay. Further research indicates Lee Ed produced a number of shoulder head bisque dolls in the mid 1950s. This particular doll, created in 1955, is Napoleon's first girlfriend and one-time fiancee, Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary. The doll is beautifully sculpted and detailed and measures 17" high. Since I spend most of my time studying the ancient world rather than Napoleon's era, I had never heard of her. Although she was engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte, she eventually married Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and crowned Queen Desideria of Sweden.
Désirée Clary was born in Marseille, France, the daughter of François Clary, a wealthy silk manufacturer and merchant, and his second wife Françoise Rose Somis.
"Her husband was appointed governor of Hanover in 1804-1805, Prince of Pontecorvo 1806 and was one the leading generals in the French Napoleonic army; he was made heir to the Swedish throne in 1810 and, after success in war, to the Norwegian throne in 1814.They had only one child, Oscar, who eventually became King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (17991859).
Desirée visited Sweden for the first time in 1810 but could not accustom herself to the demands of formal court etiquette. She was said to have been treated with a certain snobbery by the court and especially the queen, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, though the old dowager queen Sophia Magdalena of Denmark was kind to her. The climate was also a shock. It must be added, however, that according to descriptions, she seems to have behaved in a very "spoiled" manner and made no attempt to be liked, as she had never wished to be a queen and did not want to move so far away from her family. She left Sweden in 1811 under the name of "Countess of Gotland", officially because of her health, and returned to Paris. There she stayed for twelve years, leaving not only her husband but also her son behind. She herself said that the Swedish nobility had treated her as if they were made of ice: "Do not talk with me of Sweden, I get a cold as soon as I hear the word."[citation needed] In 1818, her husband became king, but she remained in Paris. In Sweden, her husband took a mistress, the noblewoman Mariana Koskull.
In 1823, Desiree returned to Sweden together with her son's bride, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, and in 1829, she was crowned queen at her own request. The 1830s were a period when she did her best to be active as a queen, a role she had never wanted to play. The decade is described as a time of balls and parties, more than had been seen at the Swedish court since the days of King Gustav III of Sweden, but Desiree soon grew tired of her royal status and wanted to return to France; her husband wouldn't allow it. She never became very popular and never learned to speak Swedish. After she was widowed, she grew more and more eccentric; she went to bed in the morning, she got up in the evening, she ate breakfast at night, and she drove around in a carriage through the streets, in the courtyard, or wandered around the corridors of the sleeping castle with a light. On the last day of her life, she entered her box at the opera just as the performance had ended." - Wikipedia
The novel Désirée by Annemarie Selinko is based on actual events in her life and was made into a movie, Désirée (1954), an American film with Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando.
In addition to creating figures for museum exhibition, artist historian George S. Stuart also produces commissioned figures for serious collectors. One of his collectors requested this figure of a Roman legionary serving in the legions under the command of Gaius Marius. Marius is recognized for totally restructuring the Roman Army and introducing new training regimens. He changed the army from a voluntary militia to a professional force, allowing men from all classes of Roman society to join and make a career of military service. 
companies
and individual artists. I resolved that day to focus my doll collection
and use this hobby to help disseminate historical information in an
interesting and enjoyable format. 
narrow
your search. Since I had not yet learned which doll manufacturers offered
historical dolls, I began by using the keyword "historical".
I not only found some beautifully detailed dolls produced by the U.S.
Historical Society but discovered the vast array of character dolls
produced by English manufacturer, Peggy Nisbet. I also learned that
there are essentially two types of historical character dolls - a portrait
doll, where an attempt has been made by the manufacturer to sculpt
the features to resemble the actual personality, and a costume doll
where the costume is detailed but little effort is made to represent
the face of the person, with the exception of the hair style and color.
I also learned that male dolls were more rare than female dolls and
were therefore more highly sought after and usually commanded a higher
price. I felt extremely fortunate to win a prototype for Nisbet's Charles
II (left). 
a
number of manufacturers including Madame Alexander, Nortel, Brinn's,
the U.S. Historical Society, Carlson, and Reese International whose
line of First Lady Dolls were sculpted by doll artist, Suzanne Gibson.
So far, I have been able to add a number of these dolls to my collection
and especially like Suzanne Gibson's Mary Todd Lincoln doll dressed
in the gown she wore at her husband's inauguration. Although the real
Mary Todd Lincoln was quite a bit pudgier than Gibson's likeness, I
appreciate the translucent quality of the doll's face, the beautiful
spiral curls of the Civil War-era hair style, and of course the rich
color and detail of the gown.
the
artisans of St. Petersburg are now producing some specific historical
dolls as well as intricately detailed costume dolls, including a figure
of the innovative czar Peter the Great (left). I also began searching
by name for famous rulers and members of their court. 
Henry
VIII and his six wives have been a popular series for several British
doll makers including Regency, Nisbet, and Rexard (right). I find it
interesting that all of these doll manufacturers created a portrait
doll of Henry but his queens are only given the costume treatment with
the exception of a Nisbet portrait of Catherine Parr, the queen who
actually outlived him. His successor, the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I,
can be found in a wide variety of interpretations including a wonderful
hand-knitted doll I was fortunate to obtain from a very talented young
woman in Anchorage, Alaska, 
instructions
I had bid on several weeks before. I'm so glad I lost the bid to her
since I was only bidding on the booklet for reference. I tried knitting
years ago and always ended up making the stitches too tight so decided
it was not for me.
Although
I do indulge in costume dolls with clothing representative of a particular
era, I hoped I could find specific individuals produced by Marin as
well. I was not disappointed. Although Lloyderson dolls frequently
command a price exceeding $50, I was able to obtain a Marie Antoinette
for considerably less.
painted,
mohair carefully applied for hair and beards, and even tiny jewels
applied to the crowns.
olls,
I was also breaking another of my personal taboos--dolls with child-like
faces. I usually prefer dolls with adult features. However, I found
their multiple interpretations of George Washington (right) , along
with other colonial figures like Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, revolutionary
drummers, Frontier men and women, and even Civil War soldiers and generals
irrestible. I even obtained a Spanish conquistador that I have not
seen on Ebay since.
uces
wonderfully detailed portrait "figures" (I have learned that
companies use different terminology based on their target audience.
If the target audience is females, the term "doll" is used
but if the target audience is male, the term "action figure" is
used even if the figure is essentially a 12" doll - the same size
as most fashion dolls.) I was particularly impressed by their "Six-Gun
Legends" series, although their "Brotherhood In Arms" (Civil
War-era) and "Bayonets and Barbed Wire" (World War I-era)
figures are equally impressive. I even bought one of their "King
Arthur" figures from their Monty Python line to add to my medieval
collection.