This doll is an example of a character doll created for both children for play and for the collectible market in the 1960's. by the Madame Alexander Doll Company. The doll character was inspired by the doll in the1965 children's book "The Secret of Madame Doll" by author Frances Cavanah. The "secret" refers to the secret pocket in the doll;s dress that was used to conceal the family;s treasures during the American Revoluthion. The doll is clothed in a "colonial style" gown of pale pink brocade trimmed with pink organdy and lace ruffles, white lace edged pantaloons, and an organdy duster cap trimmed with lace.
The doll is made of plastic and vinyl molded parts with a swivel head, jointed arms and legs, sleep eyes with lashes. The eyebrows and mouth are painted and the doll's hair is a honey golden blonde. The head mold is of the original Mary Ann face though by the time the doll was reissued in the 1970s it had the newer style Mary Ann face. The doll comes with a booklet that refers to the book. This doll was produced in 1967 though it has a head mold stamp of 1965.
The Alexander Doll Company was founded in 1923 according to the company website, in New York City by Beatrice Alexander Behrman, whose father and grandfather repaired dolls. Beatrice though had been designing clothes for dolls with her 2 younger sisters Bertha and Rose since 1912 and they originally named their company Alexander Dolls Co. By the 1930's they were trademarking specific character lines or series such as Little Women or Gone with the Wind.. The company caters to collectors with a collector's club, conventions, and various lines of special edition dcharacter and portrait dolls, but also created dolls for children..