Head of the Cove by Louise Kenyon, circa 1945
Head of the Cove by Louise Kenyon, circa 1945
Hand block printed in blue on cotton Folly Cove Designers textile entitled 'Head of the Cove' by Louise Kenyon, circa 1945, depicting landmarks and village, country life in Annisquam (Gloucester), Massachusetts.
The Folly Cove designers were founded in Gloucester, Massachusetts by Virginia Lee Burton, the celebrated children's book author and illustrator who wrote "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," "The Little House" and "Mabel the Cable Car," among other classics, which have never gone out of print. After drawing a design which was then approved by a jury of Folly Cove Designers, linoleum blocks were hand carved and then hand printed using a giant Acorn press. The group achieved great success and sold their prints nationwide, but always preferred to stay small. Production of these textiles ceased in 1968 when Virginia Lee Burton died. Examples of their work are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA, among other museums and collections, public and private.