Monthly Archives: May 2019

May 18, 1910 – Artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend Dorothea Redmond is Born

“A Dorothea Redmond watercolor painting is a wonder to behold.” – Stacia Martin, Disney artist and historian

On May 18, 1910, artist Dorothea Holt Redmond was born in Los Angeles, California, and would receive her degree in interior design from the USC School of Architecture. Afterwards, she attended the Art Center College and got a degree in illustration. In 1938, she was hired by Selznick International Pictures, contributing her skills to such films as The Young in Heart and Gone With the Wind, and was considered one of the most talented illustrators in the business. She left to work at an architectural firm, and in 1964, she joined WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering). Her first project was to transform Disneyland’s Red Wagon Inn to the more upscale Plaza Inn, which would go on to become Walt’s favorite place to bring guests. Her other big project was to create the interior paintings for the Royal Suite, which was a hideaway for the Disney family (its location, above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, is now known as the Dream Suite). Redmond did a multitude of work for Walt Disney World, working prolifically on Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Main Street. Her most well-known work is for the murals covering the passage through Cinderella’s Castle, which were replicated in Tokyo Disneyland almost ten years later. After ten years at Disney, Redmond retired. She was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2008. She passed away on February 27, 2009.