Dorothy Draper

Dorothy Draper
Dorothy Draper in 1942
Born	Dorothy Tuckerman (1889-11-22)November 22, 1889 Tuxedo Park, New York, United States
Died	March 11, 1969(1969-03-11) (aged 79)

Dorothy Draper (November 22, 1889 – March 11, 1969) was an American interior decorator. Stylistically very anti-minimalist, she would use bright, exuberant colors and large prints that would encompass whole walls. She incorporated black and white tiles, rococo scrollwork, and baroque plasterwork.

She was born into the aristocratic Tuckerman family in Tuxedo Park, NY, one of the first gated communities in the United States. Her parents were Paul Tuckerman and Susan Minturn. In addition to the house in Tuxedo Park, the family also had a Manhattan town house and a summer cottage in Newport, RI.

Draper's great-grandfather, Oliver Wolcott, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Drapers's cousin, Sister Parish would also become a major interior designer of the 20th century.

Educated primarily at home by a governess and tutor, Draper spent two years at the Brearley School in New York City. The family took yearly trips to Europe.

Donald Albrecht, the curator of architecture and design at the Museum of the City of New York, said her "background not only provided Draper with a valuable network of clients and an innate sense of entitlement and authority but also offered her a first-hand acquaintance with the historical styles that she would freely interpret and transform," Draper was a debutante in 1907.

Draper married Dr. George Draper in 1912 and continued to live in glamour, she redecorated her homes in such style that other high society friends began to do the same for their homes. Her husband was the personal doctor to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he was diagnosed with polio. Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothy were cousins and good friends growing up, so the relationship between the two families was already in existence.

The Drapers had three children, and as they bought and sold houses, Dorothy Draper developed a reputation as having a flair for decorating. Dorothy and George Draper divorced in 1930.

Draper created a new style known as "Modern Baroque," adding a modern flair to a classical style. She used dramatic interior color schemes, and trademark cabbage-rose chintz. She promoted shiny black ceilings, acid-green woodwork and cherry-red floors, believing that "Lovely, clear colors have a vital effect on our mental happiness." She also chose very dramatic and contrasting color schemes, such as black with white and adding in some bits of color. She combined different colors, fabrics, and patterns together, combining stripes with floral patterns. She often used large, oversized details and numerous mirrors. All of the colors and patterns contributed to her dramatic design now referred to as "the Draper touch." The opposite of minimalism, her designs were incorporated in homes, hotels, restaurants, theaters, and department stores.