November 9, 2025, Meeting

November's meeting was a little different. Our club has been collecting donations to contribute to Austin's Blue Santa program, which provides toys to economically disadvantaged children. We had someone generously donate her childhood collection of Madame Alexander dolls, mainly eight-inch Alexander-kins in the traditional dress of different countries. These were later dolls, dating from the 1970s and later, and although the dolls and their colorful costumes were in excellent condition, the original latex bands used to string them had deteriorated. Some of the dolls were wobbly and others were already coming apart. We certainly couldn't give them to little girls in that condition. So our November meeting was a restringing bee, with some members undressing or re-dressing the dolls, while others restrung the dolls with sturdy new elastic. 

Some of the restored dolls read to go to their new homes.

This was actually the second collection of Alexander-kins dolls donated to the club. This earlier collection was also in wonderful unplayed-with condition, but suffered from the same deteriorated rubber bands, and previously members Jenell Howell and Sharon Weintraub had restrung this earlier donation. Some of the dolls still had their boxes; for the others, Jenell donated a cache of extra Madame Alexander boxes and Sharon contributed white gift boxes, so every doll had a box and was ready for gift wrapping. Over 60 beautiful Madame Alexander dolls were donated to Blue Santa.

It's the Season for Giving. . .

 . . . and the Austin Doll Collectors Society today donated eight boxes of dolls and toys to the Austin Blue Santa  toy drive. The toys themselves were actually a generous donation from the family of former member Audrey Caswell. The toys, most still sealed in their original packages, were part of Audrey's collection and had been sitting in a storage unit. Now they will brighten the holiday season for many economically disadvantaged girls. . . and a few boys as well. 

October 12, 2025, Meeting

Jan Irsfeld gave a program on goddesses, celestial, movie, and royal, using examples from her collection of Cissy dolls by Madame Alexander. She explained that Madame Alexander was fascinated by powerful and successful women. Peeking out in the far left corner is a Cissy, dressed by Jan, representing  Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh who reigned in the fifteenth century B.C.E.; she qualifies as a goddess because the pharaohs were considering living deities. The dolls on the table represent more modern goddesses of the silver screen. Starting from the left, the luscious lady in white represents Hollywood, while the others are Madame Alexander's  interpretation of actual actresses; Grace Kelly in icy blue, Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor models a hand-beaded gown designed by Jan.

Alexander also created many queens. This is an all-original Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth I is represented by a Cissy dressed in authentic Elizabethan garb by Jan. Next to her is "Royal Reception" by Alexander.

French queen Marie Antoinette in her original bejeweled and embroidered gown by Alexander.

In opera, a "diva" is a celebrated female singer, and the word is derived from the Italian for goddess or divine. This Cissy represents Madame Butterfly from the famous opera by Giacomo Puccini.

However, this sassy swashbuckler is more devilish than divine. . . .

Jan shared two more scintillating Cissy dolls, including this flamboyant flapper. . . 

. . . and her favorite Cissy, reduced nude from an Austin doll shop, whom Jan has since restored and elevated to a goddess.

Elaine Jackson shared this wooden Hitty, currently the queen of her Hitty House, carved by member Elaine McNally. 

Jenell Howell brought this goddess of the night, Evangeline Ghastly by Robert Tonner.

David Craig had an earlier example of the eerily beautiful Evangeline. 

Another Tonner doll belonging to David is Ellowyne Wilde, ready for trick or treating in a Halloween outfit made for her by a friend of David's.

Bette Birdsong brought another movie goddess, a Gene doll designed by Mel Odom. In keeping with the season, Jenell shared this Sasha in fall colors.

Sharon Weintraub displayed a trio of little bisque fairies by the German firm of Hertwig and Company, noting that fairies were the subjects the fairy queen and the elfin court.

She also shared this bewitching bisque witch. Witches were thought to worship Hecate. Hecate was originally a Greek goddess, who was the protector of liminal spaces and borders, such as thresholds and doors, and was associated with the night, the moon, and magic. 

Myrna Loesch displayed this doll dress created by the Milwaukee Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). The W.P.A., which operated from 1939 to 1942, provided work and job training for thousands of unemployed Americans during the Great Depression. While the W.P.A. created large public works such as roads, parks, and schools, it also operated handicraft projects aimed at teaching women skills such as sewing. The Milwaukee W.P.A. handicraft project produced dolls designed to be used as teaching materials in schools, as well as for children in hospitals or as Christmas gifts for children on the relief rolls. This dress was designed to be worn by a cloth doll.