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
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
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
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
31" (79 cm.) All cloth doll with pressed and painted facial features, blue painted side-glancing eyes, real lashes, closed mouth with full red lips, reddish/brown mohair wig, elongated slender torso and limbs, stitch-jointing at shoulders and hips. She is wearing long red cotton skirt, flowered yellow blouse, double-ruffled collar, black velvet laced vest, organdy slip and panties, from her role "Babbie" in the early film "The Little Minister". The costume is tagged " ŹÉĽabbie'/Adapted from Ž_Ôittle Minister'/Madame Alexander. New York". Very good condition, ding on right cheek, some loss to lashes. Madame Alexander, 1934. No other examples of this doll are known to exist at this time.
Presale Estimate:
600/900
Realized Price:
$2,600
19" (48 cm.) All composition with socket head, sleep eyes, real lashes, dark eyeshadow, open mouth, four teeth, blonde human hair with curled bangs, braids, jointing at shoulders and hips. The doll is wearing original red plaid school dress with white pinafore accented with cutwork, cotton slip and attached panties with ruffled edge, white socks, red side-snap ankle boots, and wide-brim straw bonnet trimmed with red berries. The dress is tagged" ŽĐÄcGuffey-Ana' Madame Alexander NY USA/All Rights Reserved". Unplayed with condition with beautiful complexion and perfect coiffure and costume, very light facial lines, eyes slightly faded, split down side of left leg. Madame Alexander, 1940, the doll is preserved in her original rare blue box with "bow" label.
Presale Estimate:
400/600
Realized Price:
$900
9" (23 cm.) All composition with socket head, painted blue side-glancing eyes, closed mouth with tiny lips, blonde human hair with bangs and braids, jointing at shoulders and hips. She is wearing her original white pique dress with attached panties, striped red pinafore, socks, red side-snap shoes, and red woven straw bonnet with berries. The dress has original cloth label " ŽĐÄcGuffey-Ana' /Madame Alexander NY USA/All Rights Reserved". Near mint condition. Madame Alexander, 1942, preserved in original labeled burgundy box indicating model 051.
Presale Estimate:
200/400
Realized Price:
$300
13" (33 cm.) All composition with socket head, brown sleep eyes, real lashes, open mouth, two upper teeth, blonde human hair with curly bangs and long braids, jointing at shoulders and hips. The doll is wearing original red cotton pique dress with rick-rack trim, matching red pique bonnet with colorful flowers, blue and white striped pinafore with red rick-rack, one-piece ruffled slip with attached panties, white socks, black side-snap ankle boots. Near mint condition, very light lines on left leg. Madame Alexander, 1942, very rare original costume, presented in (worn) original box with model number 2200D.
Presale Estimate:
500/700
Realized Price:
$850
13" (33 cm.) All composition with socket head, blue sleep eyes, real lashes, dark eyeshadow, open mouth, two teeth, blonde curly bangs and long braids, jointing at shoulders and hips. The doll is wearing her original white pique dress, red and white tattersall print pinafore, original slip and panties, white socks, red side-snap ankle boots, red woven bonnet with white floral accents. The costume is tagged " ŽĐÄcGuffey-Ana'/Madame Alexander NY USA/ Reg. No.350,781". Madame Alexander, an early model, 1939, the doll and costume are preserved in pristine mint condition.
Presale Estimate:
500/700
Realized Price:
$650