10/06/2026
to artist Lee Kingman Natti (1919-2020)! Lee Kingman Natti was born in Reading, Massachusetts, and developed a passion for reading and writing as a child. Natti graduated from Smith College in 1940 and at the age of 24 began working at Houghton Mifflin Company as assistant to the editor of children’s books. She soon rose to the position of editor. In 1942, Natti’s children’s book “Pierre Pidgeon” was published by Houghton Mifflin, the first of 29 works she would see in print. It was during her time at Houghton Mifflin that Natti met Virginia Lee Burton.
Lee Kingman Natti first came to Cape Ann when Houghton Mifflin sent her to take art classes from George Demetrios, Virginia Lee Burton’s husband who was a sculptor and taught life drawing. The model who was working for Demetrios at that time was Robert Natti, on leave from the U.S. Army. Lee and Robert married in 1945 and settled in the Lanesville neighborhood of Gloucester, building their home alongside Blood Ledge quarry. Together they had two children, Susanna in 1948 and Peter in 1950.
In the late 1940s, Natti took Virginia Lee Burton’s design course and soon became a member of the Folly Cove Designers. Over a period of 20 years, Lee was one of the group’s most productive members—creating designs, cutting blocks and printing fabric that was made into placemats, napkins, aprons and skirts.
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Lee Kingman Natti (1919–2020), Ink on cotton. Folly Cove Designers Collection of the Cape Ann Museum:
(1) “Chickadees,” 1967.
(2) “Underbrush,” 1951.
(3) “Old Sturbridge Country Store.” 1959.
