ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300112
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Antiques & designs
SOURCE: KATHY SUE GRIGG
The Alexander Doll Co., founded by Beatrice (Madame) Alexander in New York in 1923, had one generation of experience. Her parents founded the first U.S. doll hospital in 1895.
Beatrice designed a Red Cross doll during World War I for her father to sell. The company became a worldwide, multimillion dollar business, and henceforth she became known as Madame Alexander.
Alice in Wonderland was introduced in 1923 and became an instant hit. She sold for $1.85. Because Madame remembered vividly the many heartbroken children tagging behind their beloved broken porcelain dolls brought to her father's doll hospital, her first dolls were made of cloth. Later versions were made of vinyl.
The Little Woman doll, inspired by the novel "Little Women," had some personal significance for Madame. She was the eldest of four sisters and felt a special bond between herself and the fictional sisters in the book. These dolls were first made of cloth, too, and sold for $1.20.
These were followed by dolls representing characters in books of Charles Dickens - "David Copperfield," "Oliver Twist," "Little Emily" and others.
Madame obtained sole rights to produce dolls in the likeness of the Dionne quintuplets who were born May 28, 1934.
All her dolls were marked, usually on the lower back. Also, some dolls came with information in a booklet attached to a bracelet on their arms. Finding an old doll and the booklet is very rare. Unmarked versions of dolls were made by other companies, especially in Germany and Japan.
Soon, movie stars started appearing in Madame Alexander's collection. Dolls in the likeness of ice skater Sonja Henie came out in different years and sizes. The first was 15 inches high and sold for about $2.98 in 1940. Other famous personalities followed: Mary Martin, the Kennedys and Marlo Thomas.
The international dolls were highly received. Madame was honored by the United States ambassador to the United Nations at the 1965 U.N. Day. In 1968, she was asked to add to the doll collection of the Smithsonian Institution, and she presented the museum with a doll portraying the Revolutionary period and a Scarlet O'Hara doll portraying the Civil War era.
There is scarcely an arena in which Madame Alexander has not shone. Throughout the world, her dolls are on exhibit. They are highly collectible, new and old. Their value depends on the age of the dolls, their condition and whether they have their original costume. Some could sell for as much as $800 to $1,200.
Kathy Sue Grigg is an associate at Surfaces Inc. If you have ideas, questions or comments about her column, write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB