Desk Designer: Donald Deskey (American, 1894–1989)
Maker, workshop of: Probably Schmieg, Hungate and Kotzian, Inc. (American, 1924–1933)
Maker: Eagle Lock Co.
Retailer: Deskey-Vollmer, Inc. (American, 1927–1931)

1929

American Decorative Arts

On view, 3rd floor, Modern and Contemporary Art and Design

The original owners bought this desk from the Deskey-Vollmer showroom for their guest room. The sleek curves accented by brass hardware create a luxurious piece of furniture for Manhattan apartment living. Donald Deskey was a leading industrial designer who helped introduce the modern style to America in the late 1920s. He later designed the interior of Radio City Music Hall, in New York, as well as the Clorox bleach bottle.

Medium

Ebony, probably Macassar ebony, veneer on a core of yellow poplar; one drawer front core wood, chestnut; runner on small curved drawer, ash; drawer bottoms, plywood faced with mahogany on inside and yellow poplar on outside; other elements, mahogany

Dimensions

41 7/8 × 48 3/16 × 19 7/8 in. (106.4 × 122.4 × 50.5 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Arthur D. Berliss, Sr.

Accession Number

1984.23.2

Geography

Made in New York, New York

Culture

American

Period

20th century

Classification

Furniture

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Purchased in 1929 by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Berliss, Sr., for their apartment at 1185 Park Avenue, New York. Gift in 1984 to Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • John Stuart Gordon et al., A Modern World: American Design from the Yale University Art Gallery, 1920–1950 (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2011), 40–41, no. 19
  • Handbook of the Collections, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 97, ill
  • Gerald W. R. Ward, American Case Furniture in the Mabel Brady Garvan and Other Collections at Yale University (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1988), 324–25, no. 171, ill
  • Richard Guy Wilson, Dianne H. Pilgrim, and Dickran Tashjian, The Machine Age in America, 1918–1941, exh. cat. (New York: Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1986), 282, fig. 8.11
  • "Acquisitions 1984," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin 39, no. 3 (Winter 1986), 74, ill
Object copyright
Copyright Artist/Estate/Foundation
In Copyright
Additional information

Object/Work type

desks

Marks

“eagle lock co / terryville, conn, u.s.a.,” stamped on one side of associated keys; “6w9” or “6m9,” stamped on other side; “a.h. & h / made in u.s.a.,” stamped on light fixture; “leviton / 3a-125v 1a-250v,” marked on light switch; “g e [in script, in circle] / cat. / 58g680,” marked on front of electrical component; “series ballast / for use with 15 watt fluorescent lamp / 118 volts 32 amps. 60-cycles a. c.,” marked on back

Technical metadata and APIs

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