NORMA LU MEEHAN: From the time she was cutting out paper dolls as a kid, Norma Lu Meehan knew her life was to be connected in some way to the drawing of pretty clothes. After taking two years of costume design and fashion illustration from Lois Marshall in South Bend, Indiana, it was off to New York to the Parsons School of Design. The anatomy and life classes and painting the historic gowns in the Brooklyn Museum 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. Her primary clients included The Frances Shop and The Milady Shop (two of the finest specialty shops in South Bend), and Mr. Leonard Furs and Gilbert’s Men’s store, said to be the largest advertiser in the country. A favorite client was the Dainty Maid Bake Shop because Norma Lu and her family got to eat every special of the week that she drew.

After working for decades as a fashion illustrator and art director, Norma Lu now focuses her creative efforts on 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. The Collection by Design series represents dozens of exquisitely rendered costumes from Kent State Museum collection. Other titles include The Fowler Family Gets Dressed, The Fowler Family Celebrates Statehood and a Wedding, and Heroine of the Limberlost about naturalist and author, Gene Stratton-Porter.
Another specialty of Norma Lu’s is creating custom paper dolls for individuals. Many families have been elated to see a loved one and their wardrobe transformed into a paper doll.

A favorite artist at annual paper doll conventions, Norma Lu Meehan’s souvenir paper dolls are always a hit. These days, Norma Lu is pleased to be working on new projects for Paper Studio Press including an upcoming paper doll of Greta Garbo. With a big family of children and grandchildren, Norma Lu divides her time between her home in Indiana and her lake house in Michigan.