Doris Lee

Painting, "Michigan Treetop" by Doris Lee, circa 1947

Painting (Visual work)

Doris Lee (1904-1983) painted scenes from everyday American life. Her later works, such as Michigan Treetop (1947), incorporated flattened shapes and simplified forms inspired by her interest in and collections of American folk art. The J.L. Hudson Company, a Detroit department store, commissioned this painting for the "Michigan on Canvas" exhibit, which traveled the state, including the Henry Ford Museum.

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"The Dining Rooms - The J.L. Hudson Company" Menu Showing "Spring in the Fruit Country," 1949

Menu

Doris Lee was one of ten contemporary artists whose works were included in the exhibit "Michigan on Canvas"--Lee contributed eight paintings. J.L. Hudson reproduced selected works for the covers of menus used in its Detroit flagship store's dining rooms. This menu shows Lee's Spring in Fruit Country, depicting Michigan's cherry-growing region. The painting is owned by the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, in Midland, Michigan.

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Fred Harvey Restaurant Menu Featuring "Arrival of the Harvey Girls" by Doris Lee, 1947

Menu

During the 1940s and 1950s, Life magazine hired Doris Lee for several assignments and commissioned her to illustrate her travels. In 1945, while a correspondent in Hollywood, California, Lee depicted scenes from the film The Harvey Girls. Two of her paintings made during this time later graced the walls of the Fred Harvey Restaurant in Hollywood and were depicted on its lunch and dinner menus.

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The Saturday Evening Post, May 4, 1946

Magazine (Periodical)

Doris Lee created works that were reproduced in national magazines. Her contributions included commercial advertisements, artist travel illustrations, and front covers.

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"Season's Greetings," 1953

Christmas card

Like many other mid-twentieth-century artists, Doris Lee produced artwork for Christmas cards. Associated American Artists, an organization that made fine art prints available to the public at a reasonable price, contracted with Hallmark to create this Christmas card of Lee's work--one of six designs she made for the company in 1953.

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"The Curio Cabinet" Curtain Panel, circa 1952

Curtain (Window hanging)

In 1952, artist Doris Lee, in collaboration with Associated American Artists (AAA), produced textile designs for Riverdale Fabric Company. Curio Cabinet, based on one of her earlier paintings, became Lee's most recognizable pattern. The design, available in six colorways, was sold nationally through major department stores, including Macy's. Lee would later produce other textiles for M. Lowenstein & Sons, another AAA collaboration.

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