The Madame Elise label was founded by Elizabeth Marie Louise Jaeger (1836-1913), the daughter of a Frankfurt banker. She worked for Jane Clarke, a dressmaker and lace seller, at 170 Regent Street in Mayfair. Elizabeth, who preferred to be called Elise, married Frederick Wootton Isaacson in 1857. A native Londoner, Frederick worked his way up from a warehouse worker for a book merchant to a buyer and successful businessperson.
Jane Clarke sold her business to Elise and Frederick in 1859, and they kept the shop at the 170 Regent Street address. The establishment quickly gained notoriety, earning an appointment from the Princess of Wales Alexandra of Denmark, wife to King Edward VII. This appointment was proudly displayed on all Madame Elise labels. Elise also wrote books and magazine articles about fashion and textile crafts, which she continued to do after she and Frederick sold the business to Charles Chatteris in 1884. In 1887, Charles changed the name to Madame Elise and Company. The business was incorporated as a Ltd in 1890. Charles died in 1903 and the business was dissolved.
Written by denisebrain
