Textile, Paper Dolls

In Paper Dolls, one of many trompe-l’oeil designs by William Ward Beecher, blue paper cut-outs join at the hands and feet in the form of a child’s paper chain. The figures cast shadows on the beige ground behind them, so that they appear to hover above the surface.
The February 17, 1953 issue of Women’s Wear Daily mentioned this design: “Artists of the Magic Realism school have turned out some print ideas of especial interest. These are characterized by naturalistic motifs highlighted with a shadow treatment, giving them a three-dimensional effect that makes them appear to stand out from the ground. In this technique is a design of checkers on a checkerboard, one of paper dolls, and a neat small one using single jewels.”
A swatch of Paper Dolls appeared in a Signature Fabrics advertisement in the April-May 1953 Vogue Pattern Book. (1)
This is one of five distinct designs by Beecher proposed for acquisition.
(1) Karen J. Herbaugh, “Index of AAA Textile Designs,” in Art for Every Home: An Illustrated Index of Associated American Artists Prints, Ceramics, and Textile Designs (Manhattan: Marianna Kistler Beach Museum, Kansas State University, 2016), http://hdl.handle.net/2097/19686.

Textile, Paper Dolls; Designed by William Ward Beecher (American, 1921 - 2006); Produced by Associated American Artists (United States); cotton; H x W: 366 × 95.8 cm (12 ft. 1/8 in. × 37 11/16 in.); American Textile History Museum Collection, gift of Gail Windisch; 2016-35-57