Madame Alexander Composition Dolls
Madame Alexander Doll Company
History of the Company
Beatrice Alexander was born above the American toy shop owned by her Russian born, German trained father. Upon graduation from
high school in 1912, Beatrice married Phillip Behrman. In 1915, Beatrice gave birth to a daughter, Mildred.
Motherhood was not enough for this active woman in a time of “emancipation”. She worked to build a business based upon her
observations as a child. Patricia Smith (1978) writes:
Ambition is tempered with environment and Beatrice had always been compassionate and deeply understanding, and rather intrigued
with the emotions of little girls, who placed their dolls into the hands of her father, “the Doctor,” to repair. She saw beauty and
excitement of a re-found friend, when the child came to the “hospital” to reclaim her doll. These emotions have never left Beatrice
Alexander and helped to fulfill her own dreams. She saw that these dolls represented not only a friend but a part of the child’s mind
that was developing, along with the dreams of childhood that make every little girl a princess and every little boy a king. This beauty of
childhood was reflected in the eyes of the child for her doll. The doll represented security in an insecure world, it represented dreams
in a stark world and it foresaw the fulfillment of the future. Beatrice Alexander had felt the importance of a doll in helping to bring
beauty and comfort and yes, even understanding to a child. Dolls helped in the development of personality.
World War I provided the difficulty from which would rise the Alexander Doll Company. European dolls were much less plentiful due to
the use of the factories in the war. Imports to the U.S. were almost nil. Beatrice seized the opportunity and made a little Red Cross
nurse doll and a cloth baby doll. Her driving philosophy for the dolls was:
…that a child should have reality, yet webs of dreams sewn into her dolls…” (Smith p.1). Beatrice fashioned a doll as a portrait of her
daughter Mildred and began the Alexander Doll Co. in 1923. Beatrice supervised the hand painting, stuffing bodies and creation of the
clothes made by her three sisters. In a business world almost exclusively composed of men, Beatrice built a company like no other.
Later husband, Phillip Behrman, joined the firm creating a company with three factories and over 600 employees by the 1950s.
As with so many fledgling enterprises, materials readily available provided the beginnings of the product. Initially, the dolls were hand
painted with flat faces. Soon after, the faces became dimensional, though still of cloth. Subjects of the dolls were from the literature
upon which the Alexander sisters were raised including Fields, Tennyson, Dickens, Carroll, and of course Louisa May Alcott.
Beatrice expanded her business to include clothing similar to the dolls for children. This effort was discontinued when it began to
interfere with the doll production. Dolls had come full circle. In the 18th century, dolls were made to tour the world showing the latest
fashions for women to wear. Madame Alexander (and later Pleasant Company with the American Girls Dolls) made clothes for children
designed from the clothes of the dolls.
Identifying MA dolls
Madame Alexander used basic head styles but dressed the dolls to represent different characters, especially characters from history
and literature. Composition of the dolls spanned the gamut of materials from cloth to composition to plastic and vinyl. Dolls are usually
marked Mme Alexander of Madame Alexander while the clothes were tagged.
Cloth Dolls
Cloth dolls were not marked though the clothing often was marked. The earliest dolls with flat faces appear from 1912 but molded cloth
mask face dolls were made from 1923 to the 1940s. The Little Shaver is all original from 1942.
Composition Dolls
Dolls were made of composition beginning in 1935. The doll heads were generally marked and the clothes had white tags with blue
lettering indicating the character and Madame Alexander. Some special heads were made i.e. for the Dionne Quintuplets, the nurse
and Dr. Dafoe. However, the classic face was the Betty face-Tiny Betty for dolls up to 8 inches (1935-1939) and Little Betty for dolls 9-
11 inches (1937-1941). The Wendy Ann face was used for the 11-21 inch dolls (1937-1948). (this face was named for Madame
Alexander’s grand daughter). The Princess Elizabeth face was used for larger dolls 13-27 inches (1937-1946). These dolls are
marked Princess Elizabeth. For 1946-1947 the Margaret O’Brien face was used both for the Margaret O’Brien doll as well as for other
dolls.
Plastic and Vinyl Dolls
In 1948, the Alexander Doll Company began making dolls in plastic. The Margaret O’Brien head was used for the dolls from 1948-
1956. During that same time another face, named Maggie, was also used for the dolls made in plastic. The Wendy Ann face and the
Billy face were used from 1953 on for the 7 ½ inch or 8 inch Wendy-kins or Alexander-kins. Winnie Walker face began in 1953 but
ultimately became the Cissy face on the 18 inch dolls. Elise face began in 1957 and continued in plastic until 1964. She was 16 ½
inches tall. Cissette is 10-11 inches and was used for 1957-1963. The 21 inch portrait dolls use the Jacqueline face from 1961-1962
(when MA was requested to discontinue the portraiture of the first lady) then the face was used on the Portrait dolls from 1965 on
except for 1966 when the Coco face was used. By 1964 the dolls were made in vinyl and included heads of Janie (12 inch doll), Polly
(17 inch doll), Mary Ann (14 inch doll) and Elise (17 inch doll).
Following table summarizes the materials and gives examples of the dolls faces:
History of the Company
Beatrice Alexander was born above the American toy shop owned by her Russian born, German trained father. Upon graduation from
high school in 1912, Beatrice married Phillip Behrman. In 1915, Beatrice gave birth to a daughter, Mildred.
Motherhood was not enough for this active woman in a time of “emancipation”. She worked to build a business based upon her
observations as a child. Patricia Smith (1978) writes:
Ambition is tempered with environment and Beatrice had always been compassionate and deeply understanding, and rather intrigued
with the emotions of little girls, who placed their dolls into the hands of her father, “the Doctor,” to repair. She saw beauty and
excitement of a re-found friend, when the child came to the “hospital” to reclaim her doll. These emotions have never left Beatrice
Alexander and helped to fulfill her own dreams. She saw that these dolls represented not only a friend but a part of the child’s mind
that was developing, along with the dreams of childhood that make every little girl a princess and every little boy a king. This beauty of
childhood was reflected in the eyes of the child for her doll. The doll represented security in an insecure world, it represented dreams
in a stark world and it foresaw the fulfillment of the future. Beatrice Alexander had felt the importance of a doll in helping to bring
beauty and comfort and yes, even understanding to a child. Dolls helped in the development of personality.
World War I provided the difficulty from which would rise the Alexander Doll Company. European dolls were much less plentiful due to
the use of the factories in the war. Imports to the U.S. were almost nil. Beatrice seized the opportunity and made a little Red Cross
nurse doll and a cloth baby doll. Her driving philosophy for the dolls was:
…that a child should have reality, yet webs of dreams sewn into her dolls…” (Smith p.1). Beatrice fashioned a doll as a portrait of her
daughter Mildred and began the Alexander Doll Co. in 1923. Beatrice supervised the hand painting, stuffing bodies and creation of the
clothes made by her three sisters. In a business world almost exclusively composed of men, Beatrice built a company like no other.
Later husband, Phillip Behrman, joined the firm creating a company with three factories and over 600 employees by the 1950s.
As with so many fledgling enterprises, materials readily available provided the beginnings of the product. Initially, the dolls were hand
painted with flat faces. Soon after, the faces became dimensional, though still of cloth. Subjects of the dolls were from the literature
upon which the Alexander sisters were raised including Fields, Tennyson, Dickens, Carroll, and of course Louisa May Alcott.
Beatrice expanded her business to include clothing similar to the dolls for children. This effort was discontinued when it began to
interfere with the doll production. Dolls had come full circle. In the 18th century, dolls were made to tour the world showing the latest
fashions for women to wear. Madame Alexander (and later Pleasant Company with the American Girls Dolls) made clothes for children
designed from the clothes of the dolls.
Identifying MA dolls
Madame Alexander used basic head styles but dressed the dolls to represent different characters, especially characters from history
and literature. Composition of the dolls spanned the gamut of materials from cloth to composition to plastic and vinyl. Dolls are usually
marked Mme Alexander of Madame Alexander while the clothes were tagged.
Cloth Dolls
Cloth dolls were not marked though the clothing often was marked. The earliest dolls with flat faces appear from 1912 but molded cloth
mask face dolls were made from 1923 to the 1940s. The Little Shaver is all original from 1942.
Composition Dolls
Dolls were made of composition beginning in 1935. The doll heads were generally marked and the clothes had white tags with blue
lettering indicating the character and Madame Alexander. Some special heads were made i.e. for the Dionne Quintuplets, the nurse
and Dr. Dafoe. However, the classic face was the Betty face-Tiny Betty for dolls up to 8 inches (1935-1939) and Little Betty for dolls 9-
11 inches (1937-1941). The Wendy Ann face was used for the 11-21 inch dolls (1937-1948). (this face was named for Madame
Alexander’s grand daughter). The Princess Elizabeth face was used for larger dolls 13-27 inches (1937-1946). These dolls are
marked Princess Elizabeth. For 1946-1947 the Margaret O’Brien face was used both for the Margaret O’Brien doll as well as for other
dolls.
Plastic and Vinyl Dolls
In 1948, the Alexander Doll Company began making dolls in plastic. The Margaret O’Brien head was used for the dolls from 1948-
1956. During that same time another face, named Maggie, was also used for the dolls made in plastic. The Wendy Ann face and the
Billy face were used from 1953 on for the 7 ½ inch or 8 inch Wendy-kins or Alexander-kins. Winnie Walker face began in 1953 but
ultimately became the Cissy face on the 18 inch dolls. Elise face began in 1957 and continued in plastic until 1964. She was 16 ½
inches tall. Cissette is 10-11 inches and was used for 1957-1963. The 21 inch portrait dolls use the Jacqueline face from 1961-1962
(when MA was requested to discontinue the portraiture of the first lady) then the face was used on the Portrait dolls from 1965 on
except for 1966 when the Coco face was used. By 1964 the dolls were made in vinyl and included heads of Janie (12 inch doll), Polly
(17 inch doll), Mary Ann (14 inch doll) and Elise (17 inch doll).
Following table summarizes the materials and gives examples of the dolls faces:
The Art
The Music
The Literature
The Architecture
The Politics
The Traditions
The Child
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