Big Daddy Paper Doll
Date1971
MediumScreenprint on paper
DimensionsImage: 21 × 35 inches (53.3 × 88.9 cm)
Sheet: 29 × 43 inches (73.7 × 109.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Dorsky.
Object number1973.8.1
Copyright© May Stevens. Courtesy of the artist and RYAN LEE, New York.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextMay Stevens’ artwork is often politically-charged and addresses issues of feminism, activism, and social justice. She was a founding member of Heresies, A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics.
This print is from a series titled 'Big Daddy' that Stevens worked on from 1968 to 1976. The central paper doll figure with its bullet-shaped head and bulbous features is a crude rendering of her patriotic father and also bears a faint resemblance to the masculine visage of Teddy Roosevelt.
The paper doll is surrounded by the costumes of an executioner, soldier, policeman or butcher – patriarchal roles that represent both symbolic and literal authoritarian power. These outfits of dominance are undermined by the sheer fact that they are costumes meant for a toy. The central figure is ultimately naked and vulnerable to the viewer’s eye and able to be dressed up and dressed down as the viewer sees fit.
