Alice in Wonderland
Artist
Chase, Martha
(American, 1851 - 1925)
Maker
M.J. Chase Company
(American, 1880 - 1981)
Dateca. 1924
ClassificationsDoll
Credit LineGift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Object number2019.14
Label TextM. J. Chase Co.
(American, 1851–1981)
Martha Jencks Wheaton Chase
(American, 1851–1926)
Group of Characters from the “Alice in Wonderland” Series
Cotton, oil paint, fabric, stockinet, cardboard, various fabrics, about 1905–25
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III, 2019.14a-f
Progressive American doll maker Martha Chase created this set of character dolls intended for gender-neutral play. Their appearance is closely based on original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel for British author Lewis Carroll’s (pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) literary classics, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (1871).
Few doll sets have survived, but the original metal molds for the dolls’ heads are preserved in the Strong Museum of Play, Rochester, NY.
Alice
The character Alice is the heroine of Lewis Carroll’s novel about a young girl disappearing down a rabbit hole, entering a surreal world populated by bizarre creatures that accompany her many fantastic adventures.
The Duchess
Inside the palace, Alice encounters the Duchess nursing a baby, while her cook stirs a peppery soup. She is very ugly and mistreats her baby, but tries to be in everyone’s good graces (especially the Queen’s) by acting very complimentary. The cook begins to throw crockery and the Duchess tosses Alice the baby, which turns into a pig. Alice departs releasing the pig, while a grinning Cheshire Cat observes the mayhem from a safe distance, occasionally disappearing. (The Steiff toy pig is not original to the set.)
The Frog Footman
Alice encounters the Frog Footman, wearing livery and a wig, locked out of the small palace of the Duchess where he serves. He holds a large envelope given to him by a Fish Footman, including an invitation from the Queen of Hearts for the Duchess to play crocket. A minor character but an argumentative creature, the Frog Footman is resigned to waiting outside the door he believes to be locked. ‘Oh, there’s no use in talking to him,’ said Alice desperately: ‘he’s perfectly idiotic!’ and she walks right into the house.
The Hatter
The Hatter is one of the members of the “Mad Tea Party” that Alice joins. He occasionally is very rude and provocative during their conversation. While he never was called mad in the novel, the phrase ‘mad as a hatter’ was common in Carroll’s time. It probably owes its origin to the practice of hat makers (hatters) to use mercury compounds for turning fur into felt, causing mercury poisoning. The tag on his top hat indicates a price of 10 shillings and 6 pence, equaling two days wages for the craftsman.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
These fat twin brothers, originally fictional characters of an English nursery rhyme, are men dressed as schoolboys and appear in the Carroll sequel, Through the Looking Glass...They show Alice the sleeping Red King and tell her about the Walrus and the Carpenter. Although cowardly, the brothers are rather affectionate with one another, but don’t hesitate to fight over insignificant matters.
Status
On view
Crawford, Michael
