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Dolly Tree

Dolly Tree

Known For Costume & Make-Up
Birthday Mar 17, 1899
Died May 17, 1962 (63)
Birthplace Bristol, England, UK
Popularity 0.2 (history)
Updated Aug 10, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dolly Tree (17 March 1899–17 May 1962) was an English illustrator, actress and costume designer who during the 1930s and 1940s designed dresses for Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Rosalind Russell, Maureen O'Sullivan and Judy Garland among others in addition to costumi ... ng historical dramas such as David Copperfield (1935) and A Tale of Two Cities (1935). Born in Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol in 1899 as Dorothy Marian Isbell, the daughter of Charles Edwin Isbell (1863-1942) , a solicitor, and Bertha Marian (née Keith-Williams) at an early age she discovered an aptitude for drawing before being drawn towards a career on the stage. In 1912 her family relocated to London and she began her career as an artist after seeing the play Vanity Fair at the Palace Theatre in 1916. Of the play she later wrote, ‘I was fascinated by the wonderful dancing and art of Regine Flory and admired her so much that I started to design a special poster of her, really to amuse myself, based on my recollections of this vivid artist seen across the footlights.’ A friend took her drawing to Sir Alfred Butt who bought it and gave her a two-year contract (c1917-1918) to design posters and programme covers for of all his shows including The Boy (1917), The Beauty Spot (1918), Going Up (1918), Telling the Tale (1918), The Latest Craze (1919), The Kiss Call (1919), Very Good Eddie (1919) and Hello America (1919). Her comic illustrations also appeared in various British newspapers and magazines. Between 1915 and 1918 Dolly Tree appeared in five British silent films as an actress. In the United Kingdom her career as a costume designer began in the 1920s on various cabaret shows in London in particular; in 1923 she collaborated on her first film, Woman to Woman, directed by Graham Cutts and with Alfred Hitchcock as the co-screenwriter, artistic director and assistant director. Her work became popular in Paris where she became the first English person and the first woman to design for the Folies Bergère. In 1926 she moved to the United States, first working in New York where she created the costumes for the 1928 Broadway play Diamond Lil starring Mae West. She then went to Hollywood where she was involved in designing for 175 American films, firstly for Fox Studios (1929-1931) and then for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1931-1942), mainly as a designer of dresses, among others alongside Adrian. In 1931 while working at Fox Studios she met and married the American Naval officer Thomas Kimes. Although the marriage was a happy one but his career in the Navy kept them apart and they divorced in 1940. After her divorce Tree began to drink heavily which lead to her leaving MGM in 1942 and returning to Fox Studios where she married her second husband Don E. Whiteford. However, this marriage also did not work and they quickly divorced, which drove Tree further into alcoholism. Her second divorce, her heavy drinking and the death of her father in 1942 lead to her becoming increasing unreliable and losing her job.

Known For

Filmography

No data available

The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe

The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe

1942

Costume Design

The Pied Piper

The Pied Piper

1942

Costume Design

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

1942

Costume Design

Tales of Manhattan

Tales of Manhattan

1942

Costume Design

Thunder Birds

Thunder Birds

1942

Costume Design

The Bad Man

The Bad Man

1941

Costume Design

The Trial of Mary Dugan

The Trial of Mary Dugan

1941

Costume Design

Maisie Was a Lady

Maisie Was a Lady

1941

Costume Design

Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid

1941

Costume Design

Sporting Blood

Sporting Blood

1940

Costume Design

We Who Are Young

We Who Are Young

1940

Wardrobe Designer

Go West

Go West

1940

Costume Design

Little Nellie Kelly

Little Nellie Kelly

1940

Costume Design

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante

1940

Wardrobe Designer

The Golden Fleecing

The Golden Fleecing

1940

Wardrobe Designer

Gold Rush Maisie

Gold Rush Maisie

1940

Costume Design

Dr. Kildare Goes Home

Dr. Kildare Goes Home

1940

Wardrobe Designer

20 Mule Team

20 Mule Team

1940

Costume Design

I Love You Again

I Love You Again

1940

Costume Design

Congo Maisie

Congo Maisie

1940

Wardrobe Supervisor

The Ice Follies of 1939

The Ice Follies of 1939

1939

Costume Design

They All Come Out

They All Come Out

1939

Wardrobe Designer

6,000 Enemies

6,000 Enemies

1939

Wardrobe Supervisor

Another Thin Man

Another Thin Man

1939

Costume Design

Stand Up and Fight

Stand Up and Fight

1939

Costume Design

Stronger Than Desire

Stronger Than Desire

1939

Wardrobe Designer

Tell No Tales

Tell No Tales

1939

Wardrobe Designer

Maisie

Maisie

1939

Costume Design

The Kid From Texas

The Kid From Texas

1939

Costume Design

On Borrowed Time

On Borrowed Time

1939

Costumer

At the Circus

At the Circus

1939

Costume Design

Thunder Afloat

Thunder Afloat

1939

Costume Design

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

1939

Wardrobe Designer

The Shining Hour

The Shining Hour

1938

Costume Design

The Chaser

The Chaser

1938

Wardrobe Master

Fast Company

Fast Company

1938

Wardrobe Designer

Lord Jeff

Lord Jeff

1938

Wardrobe Supervisor

Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle

1938

Wardrobe Supervisor

The Girl Downstairs

The Girl Downstairs

1938

Wardrobe Designer

Test Pilot

Test Pilot

1938

Costume Designer

Of Human Hearts

Of Human Hearts

1938

Wardrobe Designer

Arsène Lupin Returns

Arsène Lupin Returns

1938

Wardrobe Designer

Paradise for Three

Paradise for Three

1938

Wardrobe Designer

The First Hundred Years

The First Hundred Years

1938

Wardrobe Designer

Yellow Jack

Yellow Jack

1938

Wardrobe Designer

Spring Madness

Spring Madness

1938

Costume Designer

Navy Blue and Gold

Navy Blue and Gold

1937

Wardrobe Designer

Thoroughbreds Don't Cry

Thoroughbreds Don't Cry

1937

Wardrobe Designer

The Good Old Soak

The Good Old Soak

1937

Costume Design

Rosalie

Rosalie

1937

Costume Design

My Dear Miss Aldrich

My Dear Miss Aldrich

1937

Wardrobe Designer

The Good Earth

The Good Earth

1937

Wardrobe Supervisor

Big City

Big City

1937

Wardrobe Designer

Night Must Fall

Night Must Fall

1937

Costumer

Espionage

Espionage

1937

Costume Design

Madame X

Madame X

1937

Costume Design

A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races

1937

Wardrobe Designer

Live, Love and Learn

Live, Love and Learn

1937

Wardrobe Master

Fury

Fury

1936

Costume Design

Absolute Quiet

Absolute Quiet

1936

Costume Design

Libeled Lady

Libeled Lady

1936

Wardrobe Supervisor

Sinner Take All

Sinner Take All

1936

Wardrobe Designer

Three Live Ghosts

Three Live Ghosts

1936

Wardrobe Designer

The Devil-Doll

The Devil-Doll

1936

Wardrobe Designer

The Unguarded Hour

The Unguarded Hour

1936

Wardrobe Designer

Trouble for Two

Trouble for Two

1936

Wardrobe Supervisor

Sworn Enemy

Sworn Enemy

1936

Costume Designer

After the Thin Man

After the Thin Man

1936

Costumer

The Garden Murder Case

The Garden Murder Case

1936

Costume Design

Exclusive Story

Exclusive Story

1936

Costume Design

Suzy

Suzy

1936

Costume Designer

Riffraff

Riffraff

1936

Wardrobe Designer

Three Godfathers

Three Godfathers

1936

Wardrobe Designer

Mad Holiday

Mad Holiday

1936

Wardrobe Designer

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

1935

Costume Design

Escapade

Escapade

1935

Costume Design

Mad Love

Mad Love

1935

Costume Design

Age of Indiscretion

Age of Indiscretion

1935

Wardrobe Designer

Times Square Lady

Times Square Lady

1935

Wardrobe Designer

A Night at the Opera

A Night at the Opera

1935

Costume Design

David Copperfield

David Copperfield

1935

Costume Design

Public Hero Number 1

Public Hero Number 1

1935

Wardrobe Master

Woman Wanted

Woman Wanted

1935

Wardrobe Designer

It's in the Air

It's in the Air

1935

Costume Design

The Bishop Misbehaves

The Bishop Misbehaves

1935

Wardrobe Designer

Rendezvous

Rendezvous

1935

Wardrobe Designer

The Casino Murder Case

The Casino Murder Case

1935

Wardrobe Designer

Kind Lady

Kind Lady

1935

Costumer

Whipsaw

Whipsaw

1935

Wardrobe Master

The Night Is Young

The Night Is Young

1935

Wardrobe Master

A Wicked Woman

A Wicked Woman

1934

Wardrobe Supervisor

Straight Is the Way

Straight Is the Way

1934

Costume Supervisor

You Can't Buy Everything

You Can't Buy Everything

1934

Wardrobe Designer

The Gay Bride

The Gay Bride

1934

Wardrobe Designer

Manhattan Melodrama

Manhattan Melodrama

1934

Costume Design

Hide-Out

Hide-Out

1934

Wardrobe Designer

The Thin Man

The Thin Man

1934

Costume Design

She Wanted a Millionaire

She Wanted a Millionaire

1932

Costume Design

Transatlantic

Transatlantic

1931

Costume Design

Sporting Blood

Sporting Blood

1931

Costume Design

Annabelle's Affairs

Annabelle's Affairs

1931

Costume Design

Bad Girl

Bad Girl

1931

Costume Design

Skyline

Skyline

1931

Costume Design

Just Imagine

Just Imagine

1930

Costume Design

The Arcadians

The Arcadians

1927

Costume Designer

No data available

No data available

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

No data available

No data available

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 1 2 1
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2024 8 1 4 1
2024 9 1 3 1
2024 10 1 1 1
2024 11 1 2 1
2024 12 1 2 1
2025 1 2 6 1
2025 2 1 1 1
2025 5 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 1 2 0

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