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Ward Brackett (1914-2006)
Artist Bio:
Ward Brackett was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1914 and studied at the Layton School of Art there. At the age of twenty, he moved to Chicago, where he became associated with the Stevens, Sundblom and Stultz Studio. In 1940 he married fellow artist Dolli Tingle (Esther McCall Brackett), and the couple moved to New York that same year.
Brackett served in the Army during World War II and, after returning home, resumed his art career as an illustrator. He created advertising art for such companies as Hamilton Watch and TWA and illustrated stories for McCall's, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan. He produced covers for American Magazine and Collier's and later became known for artwork for paperback books and magazines including Reader's Digest.
Alongside his broader commercial illustration work, Brackett created paper dolls for the Merrill Publishing Company, including Ballet Dancers in 1947. A later Merrill reprint, Dancing Dolls with Famous Costumes, appeared in 1954. His paper doll work reflects the polished, mid-century illustrative style that characterized his magazine and advertising art.
Brackett lived in Westport, Connecticut, for many years and was a member of the Society of Illustrators, the Silvermine Arts Guild, and the Westport Arts Center. He and Dolli Tingle Brackett spent winters in Florida and continued their painting careers there. In addition to his magazine, book, and paper doll work, Ward Brackett also designed postage stamps for the United States Postal Service.
Dolli Tingle Brackett illustrated many children's books, exhibited her oils and watercolors widely, and became especially well known for her Christmas stamp designs for the United States Postal Service, including the popular 1973 needlepoint Christmas tree stamp. Together, the Bracketts' illustration and stamp-design work extended their paper doll art into a broader visual record of mid-century American graphics.
Sources: Paper Dolls and Their Artists, Revised Edition by Mary Young (1993); public records; and The New York Times obituary of Dolli T. Brackett (1993).
This artist entry is part of the OPDAG Paper Doll Artists Index, an ongoing research project. Entries are updated as new information is confirmed. We welcome corrections, additions, publication information, images, and other materials that help preserve and document the work of paper doll artists. Please contact Jenny Taliadoros at info@opdag.com if you have information to share.
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Selected Titles:
Merrill Publishing Company
Ballet Dancers, #3447 (1947; covers and dolls only)
Dancing Dolls with Famous Costumes, #3448 (1954; reprint of Ballet Dancers)
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