Mirror Maker: Bernard W. Fischer (American, 1900–1986)

ca. 1927

American Decorative Arts

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

The dramatic composition and stylized forms of this mirror are characteristic of many American furniture designs influenced by the 1925 Paris Exposition. Viewed by many as a "mechanistic" material, metal was a popular choice for modernistic household furniture. On this mirror, Bernard W. Fischer used overlapping plant forms in glass and metal to dissolve any clearly defined boundary between glass and frame.

Medium

Brass, copper, glass, Douglas-fir plywood, lead, and sheet iron

Dimensions

30 1/8 × 24 1/4 in. (76.5 × 61.6 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of the Estate of Bernard Fischer

Accession Number

1986.115.2

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
Phyllis (1899–1983) and Bernard W. Fischer (1900–1986), New York and Wingdale, N.Y., ca. 1927–86; transferred to the estate of Bernard Fischer, New York, 1986; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 1986

Sources: 1930 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com
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), 100, no. 58
  • David L. Barquist, Elisabeth Donaghy Garrett, and Gerald W. R. Ward, American Tables and Looking Glasses in the Mabel Brady Garvan and Other Collections at Yale University (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 62, 351–53, no. 203, pl. 24, ill
  • "Acquisitions 1985–1987," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin 40, no. 2 (Spring 1988), 88
Object copyright
Copyright Undetermined
Additional information

Object/Work type

mirrors

Marks

"Bernard Fischer / space 17 / 8000" is written in black ink on fabric tag affixed to backboard; "31067 / 56" written in crayon on backboard.

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

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