Creating paper dolls is what Tom Tierney is best known for, but he created much more than that. I’m aging myself here, but if you ever cut out and
played with Betsy McCall paper dolls, you can thank Tom Tierney for reinvigorating them and elevating paper dolls to new heights.
The soft cover paper doll books that have become collectibles were originally created by him. Although Tom passed away in 2014 you can still find his work in bookstores and online. Dover Publications still sells many of his items, including Fashions of First Ladies and Movie Monsters.
He began drawing as a young boy growing up in Texas. He began his career as a fashion illustrator when he was still in high school, and eventually graduated with a B.F.A. in painting and sculpture. His created work for several department stores including J.C. Penny, Macy’s and Sears.
His career took a turn into designing and creating paper dolls in the mid 1970s. Trying to come up with a novel Christmas gift for his mother, he set about creating a set of paper dolls depicting some of his mothers favorite movie stars from the 1930s. His mother showed them off to several friends. It happened that one of them was a literary agent, who persuaded him to create a book. It was published by Prentice-Hall in 1976. By 1978, Dover Publishing had contracted Tom to create a series of paper doll books. In his life, he created over 400 different paper doll books, featuring everything from Pope Francis to Alexander McQueen fashions. Not only were his designs meticulously researched and created, he also included tidbits of information alongside the cutouts. Collectors across the world have coveted his creations.
While creating iconic paper dolls was the mainstay of his career, he wrote children books and created posters for films, and illustrations for multiple magazines. One of his most collected books is Life’s a Drag, featuring comedic drag performers including Jerry Lewis and Milton Berle.
Tierney produced many titles on many eras and many personalities. Here’s a sample of some of his books available for sale on Etsy:
Great Fashion Designs of the Sixties, from WatsonsVintageFinds, $38.
Ronald Reagan, from Bixipix, $33.
Queen Elizabeth 1, from MoreStuffYouWant, $26.99
Famous African-American Actresses, from the McScheffryCollection, $22.95
Judy Garland, from CBVintageCollectible, $14.95
Ancient Greek Costumes, from MissMugglesAttic, $39.95
Read more about Tom Tierney in this interview.
If you would like to read about other design icons, click here.
