July 4, 2015 is not only the 239th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s also the 150th anniversary of the introduction of one of literature’s most memorable characters: Lewis Carroll’s Alice, of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, often shortened to Alice in Wonderland.
Carroll’s 1865 novel has been adapted for stage and screen dozens of times, but it was the 1947 theater adaptation at New York’s American Repertory Theater that drew high praise from LIFE Magazine for the way its lead actress, Broadway veteran Bambi Linn, embodied the ideals of Alice. LIFE’s editors explained a common misconception about the golden-haired heroine:
Carroll was a professor of mathematics and this is reflected in the character he created. For what makes Alice one of the great heroines of fiction is not that she is whimsical or imaginative but that she is a realistic person who remains superbly logical even in a land of fantastic nonsense.
All these years later, it’s a trait that serves well far beyond the outer limits of Wonderland.
Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.
Bambi Linn as Alice in The American Repertory Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland, 1947.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. At the mad tea party Alice carries on a fantastic conversation with the March Hare, the drowsy Dormouse and the Hatter.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. At the Queen's croquet ground Alice and the White Rabbit watch the Queen of Hearts (center, right) preparing to whack a ball through the wicket.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Under a mushroom Alice watches the Fish-Footman hand a letter to the Frog-Footman, asking the Duchess to the Queen's croquet party. Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. The mock turtle explains tearfully to Alice that he is the unfortunate creature out of which mock turtle soup is made, and sings a melancholy ditty, "Soup of the evening, beautiful soup." His solicitous friend is the Gryphon.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. The Cheshire Cat appears mysteriously in a tree and grins down at Alice. Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Tweedledum and Tweedledee recite for Alice the sad tale of the Walrus and the Carpenter (background), who invited some innocent oysters for a walk along the seashore and then, weeping as they ate, devoured every last one.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. The White Queen (Eva Le Gallienne) sails through the air and lands close to Alice, mumbling, "bread and butter." With great dignity, Alice straightens the shawl of the Queen, tidies her hair and generally comforts her.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesBambi Linn as Alice in The American Repertory Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland, 1947.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. The end of the adventure finds Alice cuddled in her chair. In her dream she has been crowned a queen and is angry with the Red Queen. But at this moment she wakes up to find the Queen was only her cat and she is a little girl once again back in her own room, beneath the mirror through which she had stepped into wonderland.Eileen Darby—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
