Little Ladies of Fashion Paper Dolls of the Victorian and Edwardian Eras
Requests and assignments for a paper doll book subject are best when fine-tuned to the artist s specialties. When this particular one came up, a paper doll book celebrating the beautiful collection of period fashion dolls, Les Petite Dames de Mode, there was one artist as the obvious choice Norma Lu Meehan.She says It was both a thrill and a challenge because of the genius of costume designer John R. Burbidge, and my ability to do justice to his collection. Those of us in the doll world are drawn to miniatures, but his life-like little figures can take one s breath away. She has portrayed four mannequin paper dolls, derived from John s fashion dolls and painstakingly illustrated 16 period outfits, perfectly capturing four historically important fashion periods represented in the incredible doll collection.The subject and the artist are a perfect match because from the time she was a child cutting out paper dolls, Norma Lu Meehan knew her life was to be connected in some way to the drawing of pretty clothes.After two years of study in costume design and fashion illustration with Lois Marshall in South Bend, Indiana, it was off to New York to the Parsons School of Design. Her academic education followed by years of anatomy life classes laid the foundation for what Norma Lu would be doing the rest of her life.Returning home to South Bend, she began a long career as a fashion illustrator for local and Chicago clients. After working for decades as a fashion illustrator and art director, Norma Lu turned her creative efforts to paper dolls. Her specialty is antique clothing and it shows in her paper doll art. Her Wardrobe series, published by Hobby House Press, includes paper doll sets from the Edwardian, Victorian and Art Deco periods. Her Colonial series paper dolls have been published in Contemporary Doll Collector and Miniature Collector magazines.In more recent years, she illustrated several historic costume paper doll books for Texas Tech University Press. Two books,Collection by Design I and II, represent dozens of exquisitely rendered costumes from the Kent State Museum collection.Today, as well as rendering historic subjects, Norma Lu enjoys transforming favorite movie stars into paper dolls including Greta Garbo, Rhonda Fleming, Arlene Dahl and Margaret O Brien. Her most recent title for Paper Studio Press,A Palette of Paper Dolls, celebrates paintings of the masters. Her next subject will be Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.With a big family of children and grandchildren, Norma Lu divides her time between her home in Indiana and her lake house in Michigan.