The Folly Cove Designers were a mid-20th-century group of American artists block printing in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Cape Ann.
[1] Burton's strength lay in her comprehensive ability to clearly relay a thorough understanding of design and its principles to a group with no prior artistic training or inclination.
In 1944 they hired Dorothy Norton as an executive secretary to run the business end of the successful young enterprise.
In 1945, Lord and Taylor bought non-exclusive rights to five designs which pushed the reputation of the group, and began some national publicity and diverse commissions for their work.
The Home Industries shop in Rockport, Massachusetts, owned by the Tolfords, sold the Designer's work to the public starting in 1943.
• Sarni, Elena M., Trailblazing Women Printmakers; Virginia Lee Burton Demetrius and the Folly Cove Designers, Princeton Architectural Press (NY) 2023.