When Paper Dolls Become Works of Art

Tom Tierney is an award winning fashion illustrator who has become a highly recognized creator of paper dolls almost by accident. He was born in Beaumont, Texas in 1928. Tierney began formally studying art when he was six.

Back in 1975 when he was trying to decide what Christmas gift to get for his mother, he remembered a paper doll collection which she had saved from when she was a girl in the early 1900s. This remembrance led him to a decision. He decided to create paper dolls for her that was representations of some of his mother’s favorite movie stars from the 1930s. The paper dolls he presented as a gift for his mother were of Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, and Clark Gable. His mother was so pleased that she showed them to some of her friends, one of whom was a literary agent. The agent believed enthusiastically that Tierney’s Christmas gift to his mother could be the makings of a book on paper dolls. From that idea was born the book “Thirty from the 30s,” which was published in 1976.

Tom Tierney’s impromptu idea for a Christmas gift led him to create many books of paper dolls for Dover Publications. His subject matter ranges from historical figures (ie. John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Mary Queen of Scots, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope John Paul II) to common people in the costumes of their region or era. He is the only paper doll artist to have his work featured in The New York Times book review. His work has also been featured in Smithsonian Magazine in an article about Dover. In recent years he has done paper dolls of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cate Blanchette, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Nicole Kidman.

Tom Tierney says of his work,

"I feel that the most important thing about my paper doll books is that I am using the medium of the paper doll as an art form. To me, paper dolls can be more than just some 'cutsie' bit of fluff to be thrown at the children to perpetuate boredom. They can be artistic, vital, and alive and can tell us much about people, the clothes they wore, the way they lived and something of the times in which they lived. I also feel that the animation of the dolls and the costumes can indicate much about the personality of the subject. In conjunction with drawing the dolls I also write my own text, which I feel is an important adjunct to my books, explaining my `raison d'être' for treating the subject. Of course, I also thoroughly enjoy doing all the other sorts of illustration that I am involved in. The greater the variety, the less opportunity for stagnation to set in!"

I discovered Tom Tierney’s paper dolls accidentally online via Amazon. And what a fascinating discovery it was! I never could have imagined paper dolls that are for an older age group than little girls. These paper dolls are targeted at pre-teens to adults. They are not tear out, but have to be cut carefully with scissors and a utility knife. Cutting them can be a little too intricate for younger hands.

Tom Tierney also has a line of coloring books and books of historical fashions. His work can also be purchased on CD-ROM. The coloring books like the ones with paper dolls are geared to older children and even the occasional adult, like me, who loves to sometimes color. I can draw, but coloring can actually be very relaxing with Tierney’s books and their wonderful detail. Each paper doll, coloring, and costume book on historical and famous figures has an essay about the subject(s) and the outfits.

Limited previews of Tom Tierney’s books can be found on Google Books. These are his paper doll and coloring books that I own.

Napoleon and Josephine Paper Dolls
Empire Fashions
Byzantine Fashions
Russian Imperial Costume Paper Dolls
Queen Elizabeth I Paper Doll
Louis XIV and His Court Paper Dolls (preview not available)
Byzantine Costumes Paper Dolls (Emperor Justianian and Empress Theodora; preview not available)

Here are some more interesting and unexpected previews.
Medieval Fashions Coloring Book
Martin Luther King, Jr., and His Family
Ancient Egyptian Fashions Coloring Book
Great Empresses and Queens Paper Dolls
Renaissance Fashions Coloring Book
Ancient Greek Costumes Paper Dolls
Tudor and Elizabethan Fashions Coloring Book
Famous African-American Women Paper Dolls
Mumtaz of the Taj Mahal Paper Dolls
Spanish and Moorish Fashions Coloring Book
Victorian Fashions Coloring Book
Victoria and Albert Paper Dolls
Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Paper Dolls
Great Black Entertainments Paper Dolls
Ballet Stars of the Romantic Period Paper Dolls
Bill Clinton and His Family Paper Dolls
George W. Bush and His Family Paper Dolls
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Paper Dolls
Cleopatra Paper Doll

Another paper doll artist that I discovered yesterday is David Claudon. His fine work can be viewed here. His main site, David’s Gallimauphry, is worth looking at for its’ interesting historical resources.