Madame Alexander, The Rodney Waller Collection: Part One
Time has come for Beatrice Alexander, signature American dollmaker and designer, to take her rightful place among antique dolls. Nearly 90 years have passed since her dolls first appeared, and for more than a half century she stood as a symbol of excellence, ingenuity, and marketing mastery in the world of American dolls. Collector Rodney Waller noted this many years ago, and began a quest to find the rarest of the rarest of her dolls, prizing originality and excellence of condition as well as rarity. This is Session I of his two-part auction, featuring the cloth and composition dolls, 1930-1948, of Madame Alexander. Softbound. 8.5" x 11". 148 pages.
$69.00
Catalog Lot List details
24" (61 cm.) All-cloth doll with pressed and painted facial features and complexion, blue downcast eyes, real lashes, closed mouth, red lips, brunette wig in long ringlet curls, stitch-jointing at shoulders and hips, very elongated legs. She is wearing original tan velveteen fitted jacket, patterned scarf, brown cotton skirt, stockings and black lace shoes. The costume has original cloth label "Madame Alexander New York", and the doll has original paper label "Madame Alexander Presents Jeanette McDonald as She Appears in M.G.M.s feature "Rose Marie". Very good/excellent condition. Madame Alexander, 1936. No other examples of this doll are known to exist at this time.
Presale Estimate:
800/1000
Realized Price:
$3,200
15" (38 cm.) Each is an all-cloth doll with pressed and painted complexion and facial features, three with brown eyes, one (Amy) with blue eyes, closed mouth, soft mohair wig (in variation of colors), stitch-jointing at shoulders and hips. Each doll is wearing her original cotton dress with complimentary hair ribbon, undergarments, socks and shoes. Near mint unplayed with condition with very fresh costumes and painting, pristine bodies. Madame Alexander 1933, the costumes are tagged with name of doll (Meg, Jo, Beth or Amy) along with "Patent Pending: or "Patented" and "Madame Alexander", and each doll has original gold foil tag and is presented in original labeled box.
Presale Estimate:
3000/5000
Realized Price:
$6,250
11" (28 cm.) Composition head with flanged neck, blue sleep eyes, real lashes, dark eyeshadow, closed mouth, blushed cheeks, soft auburn mohair curls, cloth torso and upper limbs, composition hands and lower legs. She is wearing original blue cotton dotted Swiss dress under white organdy pinafore with matching ruffled bonnet, slip, panties, socks and side-snap ankle boots. The costume is tagged " ŹÉĽaby McGuffey'/Madame Alexander NY USA/All Rights Reserved". Near mint condition. Madame Alexander, 1942, the doll is presented in her original "bow box" with model stamp 3400.
Presale Estimate:
300/400
Realized Price:
$400
16" (41 cm.) Composition head with flanged neck, sculpted short brown curly hair, brown sleep eyes, real lashes, button-shaped nose, tiny closed mouth, cloth torso and upper limbs, composition hands and lower legs. She is wearing original blue loosely-woven tulle dress over matching silk like under-dress and panties, matching tulle bonnet with ruching and ruffles, and decorated with blue silk ribbons, bows, and rose petals, socks and pom-pom decorated shoes. Near mint condition. Madame Alexander, 1937, the luxury costume is enhanced by its superb preservation, the doll with beautiful blush on cheeks, hands and knees.
Presale Estimate:
400/600
Realized Price:
$450
20" (51 cm.) Composition head with flanged neck, large blue glass sleep eyes, real lashes, dark eyeshadow, rounded nose tip, tiny closed mouth, short brunette mohair curly wig, cloth torso and upper limbs, composition hands and lower legs. She is wearing her original patterned blue cotton dress under organdy pinafore with embroidered pocket and blue rick-rack trim, matching bonnet with blue bows, slip, panties, high stockings with original supporters, black side-snap ankle boots. The dress is tagged "Baby McGuffey"/Madame Alexander NY USA/All Rights Reserved". Near mint. Madame Alexander, circa 1942.
Presale Estimate:
400/500
Realized Price:
$400
19" (48 cm.) All composition with socket head, sleep eyes, real lashes, open mouth, row of teeth, brunette mohair curled wig, jointing at shoulders and hips. The doll is wearing original green organdy dress with cream lappets, smocked bodice, muslin slip and panties, socks, side-snap white shoes, woven hat with green banding. The dress has original cloth tag "Jane Withers/Madame Alexander/All Rights Reserved", original Jane Withers brooch name pin, and carries a vintage (not-original to doll) paper tag "This is a Genuine Jane Withers Hat". Excellent condition, eyes slightly faded, age darkening on dress and socks. Madame Alexander, portrait doll of the child film star, 1936.
Presale Estimate:
600/800
Realized Price:
$1,400
16" (41 cm.) All composition with socket head, brown sleep eyes, real lashes, open mouth, row of teeth, impressed cheek and lip corner dimples, brunette mohair wig in short bobbed fashion, jointing at shoulders and hips. She is wearing red cotton pique short dress with pearl buttons, original slip and undergarments, socks, and front-snap shoes. The dress has original cloth label "Universal Starlet/Baby Jane/Madame Alexander". Excellent condition, beautiful eyes and complexion. Madame Alexander, portrait doll of the 1930s child film star, Juanita Quigley, known as Baby Jane, 1935.
Presale Estimate:
800/1000
Realized Price:
$700
13" (33 cm.) All composition with socket head, sleep eyes, real lashes, closed mouth with hint of smile, brunette mohair wig, jointing at shoulders and hips. She is wearing original dainty dress with pink organdy yoke and sleeves, flowered cream cotton attached pinafore, onesie slip and panties, socks, black side-snap shoes woven pink hat with blue band. The dress has cloth label "3", and the doll wears original name brooch "Jane Withers". Excellent condition, very light eye fading. Madame Alexander, portrait doll of the child film star, 1936.
Presale Estimate:
400/600
Realized Price:
$350
13" (33 cm.) All composition with socket head, blue sleep eyes, real lashes, tiny rosebud-shaped lips of closed mouth, blonde mohair wig, jointing at shoulders and hips. She is wearing original red cotton long gown with black banding and white organdy ruffles, slip, pantalets, socks, black side-snap shoes and woven bonnet with red edging and gown. The dress is tagged "Madame Alexander New York". Excellent condition. Madame Alexander, the doll depicts "The Little Colonel", 1935, Advertisements for the doll noted that this was the "only authentic Little Colonel doll", created with exclusive permission of the heirs of the author, Anne Fellows Johnston. The doll was released to coincide with the release of the same Shirley Temple film of that year for which Alexander did not have the license.
Presale Estimate:
500/700
Realized Price:
$400
19" (48 cm.) All composition with socket head, sleep eyes, real lashes, open mouth, row of teeth, original blonde mohair wig with ringlet curls, jointing at shoulders and hips. She is wearing original red pique short dress with white piping, black velvet cape with ties, onesie slip with attached panties, socks, black (not original) shoes, and very rare black velvet bi-corn hat with bow. The dress is tagged "Trademark Little Colonel/Alexander Doll Co/New York" with profile image of the doll head. Excellent condition, very slight eye fading. Madame Alexander, 1935, the doll was created under license from the heirs of Anne Fellows Johnston to represent the young heroine of that novel which was just being released as a film starring Shirley Temple.
Presale Estimate:
800/1100
Realized Price:
$900