Folly Cove Designers
Folly Cove Designers was a collective of mostly women, who made intricate designs, usually intended as repeats, carved their designs in linoleum and printed their designs on fabric. Several (at least three) of the Folly Cove Designers members owned their own iron hand presses which they used, and shared with other members, to print “editions” of their blocks, sometimes in multiple colors. Three such hand presses are known to me: an acorn-frame Smith-style press built by Isaac and Seth Adams and owned by Eino Natti and used by many other members; an “Improved Washington” press built by F. J. Austin, owned by Dorothy Norton and shared with her sister and other members; and an R. Hoe & Co early Washington press owned by Mary Ann Lash. Does anyone know of other hand presses owned by Folly Cove Designers members? (Many other Folly Cove Designers printed their blocks on the fabric by spreading the fabric out on a smooth floor and placing the inked linoleum block face down on the fabric and then jumping on the block to make the impression!)
Bob
At the Cape Ann Museum they have a permanent Folly Cove exhibit featuring an Adams Acorn press owned by Virginia Lee Burton, the group founder. In addition they have a small Tarbett Phemister iron hand press (perhaps the only one known to exist) which they had on a special Folly Cove exhibit, and is now in the downstairs studio for use (I’ve helped to maintain that). At the Museum of Printing in Haverhill MA they have that Hoe Rust Washington Iron hand press which belonged to Ann Lash, and also have her homemade rotating linocutting stand. There is an Adams Acorn press at the O’Maley Middle School in Gloucester MA which was a Folly Cove press, which has the remains of a curious material-holding jig attached to the bed.
Sorry - double posted that and can’t seem to edit. The press at O’Maley Middle School is also an Adams Acorn Press. There is another Adams Acorn press at the Museum of Printing in the Community Print Shop, which is not attributed to Folly Cove, but is regularly used to print fabric.
Sorry - double posted that and can’t seem to edit. The press at O’Maley Middle School is also an Adams Acorn Press. There is another Adams Acorn press at the Museum of Printing in the Community Print Shop, which is not attributed to Folly Cove, but is regularly used to print fabric.