Tom Tierney (October 8, 1928 – July 12, 2014) was a noted
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
paper doll
Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper or thin card, with separate clothes, also made of paper, that are usually held onto the dolls by paper folding tabs. They may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object. Paper dolls have been inex ...
artist. He is credited with reviving what has been described by ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' as the "lost art" of paper doll making during his career which stretched from the 1970s to his death in 2014.
Over the course of his career, he sold over 4 million paper dolls and 400 paper doll books to readers all over the world, including one to
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
.
Early life and education
Tierney was born on October 8, 1928, in
Beaumont
Beaumont may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beaumont, Alberta
* Beaumont, Quebec
England
* Beaumont, Cumbria
* Beaumont, Essex
**Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s
* Beaumont Street, Oxford
France (communes)
* Beaumont, Ardèche
* Be ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. He began his art education at an early age, studying life drawing, landscapes, and still-life painting. Tierney began freelance fashion illustration while in high school for local department stores in his home town. He attended
Lamar Junior College in 1945 and completed his education at the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, graduating in 1949 with a B.F.A. in painting and sculpture. During his time at the University of Texas, he also spent time studying
frescoes
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
at the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
.
Upon graduating, he became a fashion illustrator for Scarborough's department store and later, Goodfriend's specialty shop in Austin.
Career
In 1951 he entered the United States Army, serving until 1953, as a recruiting artist. After serving in the Army, Tom moved to New York where he continued his career as a fashion illustrator and as a freelance artist. In addition to fashion illustration for large department stores such as JCPenney's, Macy's, and Sear's, Tierney has also illustrated a number of film posters for the Shorlane Bennet Agency, painted a number of portrait commissions, and did some nightclub singing in the Upstairs at the Duplex in Greenwich Village amongst other things. His first paper doll book, Thirty from the 30s, was published by Prentice-Hall in 1976, and its success subsequently led to the publishing of over 350 paper doll books, as well as a number of self-published works. Besides his paper dolls, Tierney also illustrated children's books, numerous Barbie and Jem books, and an array of commercial art.
Awards and honours
* ''The Nancy Beeman Strong Art Scholarship Award'' (1945)
* ''The Veesy Rainwater Painting Scholarship Award'' (1945)
* ''Texas Fellowship Painting Award'' (1948)
Death
Tierney died on July 12, 2014, at the age of 85 of lung cancer in Smithville, Texas. He had a Paper Doll Shop for many years on Main Street in downtown Smithville after leaving New York. His shop was downstairs while Mr. Tierney, known around town as "Tom", lived in his upstairs apartment. He autographed all of his many Paper Doll Books which he sold until his death. His relatives kept the store open in memory of him until his supply of vintage-style paper ornaments and books sold out.
See also
*
Margaret G. Hays
Margaret G. Hays (née Margaret Parker Gebbie; July 3, 1874 – September 13, 1925) was an American illustrator, cartoonist, and children's author.
Biography
Hays was born Margaret Parker on July 3, 1874, to George, an art publisher, and Mary J ...
- Another prominent paper doll artist
*
Grace Drayton
Grace Drayton (née Gebbie, also known as Grace Wiederseim; October 14, 1878 – January 31, 1936) was an illustrator of children's books, fashion pages, and magazine covers. She created the Campbell Soup Kids. She is considered to be one of ...
- Another prominent paper doll artist, who cooperated extensively with her sister Margaret (shown above, in the See Also section)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tierney, Tom
American artists
Deaths from lung cancer
People from Beaumont, Texas
Artists from Texas
University of Texas alumni
1928 births
2014 deaths
University of Colorado alumni