Thursday, July 24, 2014

Paper Dolls: Remembering Tom Tierney and Creating our own!


Alexander McQueen Fashions: Re-created in Paper Dolls


I read yesterday that Tom Tierney has died.

I have a confession: I was not sure that Tom really was a person before I read of his passing or was simply a nom de plume used by Dover Publishing for its eponymous paper doll books.

But I was glad to learn that Tom was indeed a person and a scampy gentleman of the highest order, taking his love of paper dolls, beauty and cheekiness and boiling them into his decades-long passion of making people smile with this witty take on paper dolls.  He recently passed away at 85.

All I could think of was this: how fun would it be to have earned your living making paper dolls?

You can't say that his portfolio wasn't diverse:

Ballet Stars of the Romantic Era Paper Dolls



William and Kate Paper Dolls: To Commemorate the Marriage of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton, 29th April 2011



Michelle Obama Paper Dolls


I fall four-square into the paper doll camp, having spent many happy hours in my childhood playing with them, though if truth be told, I preferred the punch-out ones to the ones that required a pair of scissors!  I was never so good with scissors...

My sister and I were infamous however, for cutting up the Simpson Sears catalogue and making our own, although the models in that catalogue were always positioned in odd ways.

As an adult, when I ran across some of Tom's books on a subject I like - say 1930s movie stars or Gone with the Wind -  I have always scooped them up.

You can see all of Tom's paper dolls here.

He is credited for single-handedly keeping paper dolls alive, and if you look around the Dover site, you will see there are many talented artists now turning them out!

So many thanks Mr. Tierney.  I expect to see you "Angels of Heaven" book in 2015...

Remembering Tom Tierney: The Brilliant Man Behind Every Girl's Favorite Paper Dolls| Death


What would you love to see paper dolls made about?  I was thinking of that this morning and admit I would love a True Detective set, a Game of Throne set (though there likely is one!), a Sofia Coppola or Olivia Palermo set.  Maybe Beverly Nichols in the garden?  All of the characters in The Luminaries so I could have kept better track of them whilst I was reading that?  I am currently reading a biography of John Adams - hmmm...

I wonder how long till they make Grand Budapest paper dolls for Tabs?

Do share!

Have a great day and stay safe out there!

xoxo wendy





16 comments:

  1. Paper dolls! The original Polyvore. Sort of. I love the punch out ones, too.

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    1. They were the original polyvore and cost us much less money!

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  2. Paper dolls were wonderful things, our childhood pastimes seem so basic in comparison to those on offer nowadays; peg dolls, paper dolls, a stick of rhubarb and bag of sugar - almost a Huck Finn childhood.

    Tabitha

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  3. Another fan of paper dolls here, my kids were never into them for some reason. Probably because they have video games and other inferior things!

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    1. Mine did a bit, but they were harder to find, I think!

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  4. No video games at our house; no one really wanted them. My eldest loved paper dolls and we had all sorts-- colonial costumes, ethnic garb; she drew and cut out her own dolls and made costumes for them.

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    1. My daughter didn't care for them, though boy was different! Mostly, he played with his action figures for hours and hours!

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  5. I love paper doll books. I have 2 -- Elizabeth I and Queens of the Ancient World. And yes, my sister and I also cut up the Sears and Eaton's catalogues for dolls.

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  6. I had no idea it was one person either. Thanks for sharing. What a cool guy.

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  7. I had Vivien Leigh and some others, maybe the Queen? If his personality was like his art he must have been very charming!

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  8. Hi Wendy! I am just now catching up after missing a few posts. I am along for the ride no matter what direction your blog turns. I love Martha Stewart even though sometimes I roll my eyes at her complicated recipes and projects. At 5'3" I feel your pain:) Lastly, I love paper dolls. My sister and I would anxiously await the arrival of Mom's McCall's magazine each month complete with Betsy McCall paper dolls. Anyone else remember those?

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  9. I, too, spent many happy hours with paper dolls. My sister and I did the catalogue trick too!

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