De Hirsh Margules, Mother Ann Lighthouse, Eastern Point, Gloucester, 1946. Gouache on paper. Gift of Jean M. Horblit, 2002. [Acc. #2002.004.002]
Gloucester Daily Times: Cape Ann Museum gifted a ‘lost’ Folly Cove print that resurfaced in the community
By Gail McCarthy, December 17, 2025
For the second year in a row, The Open Door’s thrift shop recognized a valued artwork of interest to the Cape Ann Museum and made a donation of the lucky find.
That artwork was a print titled “Zodiac” by Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios, founder of Folly Cove Designers, and a celebrated illustrator and children’s book author. The print had been recently donated to the Second Glance thrift shop on Pond Road, a popular and well patronized shop.
Second Glance has certain staffers who are always on the lookout for artwork that may have particular regional significance.
Cape Ann Museum’s collections related to the Folly Cove Designers had some of the original sketches for “Zodiac,” but this new acquisition provides an actual print of the design for the first time.
“It represents a meaningful moment in the museum’s ongoing effort to rediscover and preserve lost Folly Cove Designer works,” according to a museum spokesperson. “The museum also recognizes that there are likely additional Folly Cove designs still out in the world that remain unidentified.”
In its desire to fill gaps in the historical record and preserve the full legacy of the Folly Cove Designers, the Cape Ann Museum is launching a public campaign and is seeking the public’s help to locate examples of five specific designs: “Windmill” by Margaret Nelson, “Pine” by Peggy Roewer, “Punch and Judy” by Bettina Nichols, “Mushrooms” by Mary Greer, and “Leaves” by Euthymia Maletskos.
Additionally, it was noted that no works by Mary Greer, Euthymia Maletskos, or Irja J. Sheppard are currently documented, and little is known about these artists.
Anyone with information about these people or other unknown designs is encouraged to contact the museum at [email protected].
The museum described the Folly Cove Designers as a pioneering group of artists, mostly women, who carved linoleum blocks and printed them on fabric in Cape Ann between 1941 and 1969.
“They are unique because they have such a local story,” Chief Curator Martha Oaks said. “When you look at their designs, you can see there were some remarkable artists.”
lthough existing catalogues suggest a total of 335 designs by the Folly Cove Designers, museum research has shown that the number is “more nuanced,” meaning there may be other designs not yet documented. Hence, the museum is interested to learn more from those who have any related history, information, sketches or prints.
Last year, The Open Door’s Second Glance thrift shop donated to the Cape Ann Museum a placemat with the design “Sea Horses and Shells” by Hetty Beatty Whitney. The resurfacing of the previously missing design delighted staff, the museum said.
To read the full Gloucester Daily Times article, click here.
