Folly Cove Designers
The Folly Cove Designers were a collaborative of mostly, but not all, women designer-craftsmen, founded in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1938 by Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios, who is perhaps best well known for her celebrated career as an author and illustrator of children's books, including the classics, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Mabel the Cable Car, and The Little House, all of which have never gone out of print. As an artistic collaborative, of 43 women and a few men, interested in art and design, the Folly Cove Designers created whimsical and unique fabric for draperies, table linens and clothing and, on paper, wallpaper and Christmas cards, all hand block printed, based on their domestic lives and natural surroundings and often possessed of a highly original, witty and playful sense of story telling.
The Folly Cove Designers achieved great success artistically and commercially and were, in short order, featured in several major department stores across the country along with exhibitions at many museums. They earned national attention in magazines. Major departments stores purchased and reproduced some of their designs. Ultimately, however, rather than turning to commercial manufacturing methods, the Folly Cove Designers chose to stay close to their roots, rejecting the fame and commercialization offered by New York City and continuing their tradition of hand made, beautifully conceived and executed textiles. In 1969, after the death of Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios, the designers agreed not to produce or sell again to the public any of the designs they produced under the Folly Cove Designers name. Today, they are increasingly hard to find and very sought after by collectors. Examples may be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester (which has the largest collection and a wonderful, revolving permanent gallery devoted to their work) and private collections nationally.
We are pleased to be the leading dealers of original Folly Cove Designers textiles. We take great care to buy examples in excellent condition and preserve them in museum quality frames. When we are able to find enough yardage, we will also make high quality custom down-filled pillows. As longtime collectors, we have a large inventory, much of which is not posted online yet; so, feel free to contact us to learn more about our offerings. And, if you have any original Folly Cove prints to sell, we are active buyers.