Beatrice Alexander grew up in the ghettos of Brooklyn, New York of Russian parents. In 1923, she started what was to become the Alexander Doll Company. Initially, Beatrice was influenced by the Lenci Dolls and their creator Elena Scavini. It is believed that she was so much taken with Elena and her dolls that Mrs. Alexander took on the name of Madame because Elena tended to call herself Madame Lenci.In the 1920’s, Madame Alexander’s husband Philip took over the operation of the business so that Madame could concentrate mainly on the designing and accessorizing of the dolls. Toy store operator FAO Schwartz was one of Madame Alexander’s first customers and remains one today. If you look up FAO Schwartz on the Internet today, you will notice that they have a whole section devoted exclusively to Madame Alexander Dolls.
Madame Alexander borrowed many of her designs from movies of the period such as Alice in Wonderland, Little Women and later Gone With The Wind. In fact, Disney and Madame Alexander Doll Company are still partners to this day. However, Madame also based some of her dolls on her own family. One of her most popular lines, the Wendy Ann, was named after her granddaughter and the William was named after grandson William Birnbaum.
NOVA-Antiques Newsletter Archive November 3, 2005 . . . .
