Dolls of the Century


Little Shaver


An excellent reference book for the cloth Alexander dolls is:
Alexander's Rag Line by Marsha T. Hunter.
 

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The very first dolls that Madame Alexander designed were soft dolls. The earliest authenticated cloth doll was "Alice in Wonderland". She had a flat cloth face with handpainted features. Her wig was of light yellow yarn pulled back from the face. She was dressed in a blue and white cotton print dress with an organdy apron. Her dress was tagged" "ORIGINAL ALICE IN WONDERLAND, TRADEMARK 304,4088, MADAM ALEXANDER, N.Y.

All of the subsequent cloth dolls manufactured after 1934 were very simple. They were approximately 16-inches tall with a mask face of suede cloth or felt. Their faces were handpainted usually with right glancing eyes. The wigs were mohair on a cloth cap. Their clothes were made of washable cotton and fastened with safety pins. All contained appropriate tags identifying their character.

Flora McFlimsey

"Flora McFlimsey"

These characters include:

David Copperfield;

Oliver Twist;

Little Women: Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg;

Little Emily;

Little Red Riding Hood;

Alice in Wonderland;

Babbie and others;


Many other cloth dolls were made by Madame Alexander.
This is just a brief summary.
 

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