Object of the Day

Discover a different object from the Museum’s collection every day of the week!

Museum curators, conservators, and educators, as well as design enthusiasts like our teen Design Scholars, docents, and Master’s students, are sharing their favorite objects from Cooper-Hewitt’s incredible collection.

Many of these objects will be featured in the expanded collection galleries when Cooper-Hewitt reopens in 2014. Until then, “Object of the Day” is your uniquely-curated corner of the Museum!

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Radio City Music Hall: A Celebration of American Modern Design Posted by Beth Ram, on Thursday December 27, 2012 Donald Deskey, Radio City Music Hall, Industrial Design, Bauhaus, Samuel Rothafel, rococo, carpet design, entertainment, drawing, Great Depression, New York City
Eco-friendly Wallcovering Posted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Wednesday December 26, 2012 Collecting wallcoverings that are environmentally friendly is an area of great interest to me. Whether made from renewable resources or recycled materials, I appreciate when beautiful things can be made without adding undue stress on the environment. Made from 100% pre- and post-consumer recycled materials, the V2 wall tile by MIO, a company that creates sustainable and socially responsible products, is one of the first environmentally-friendly wallcoverings I discovered. wallcovering, tile, embossed, recycle
Holiday Shopping Posted by Allison Grimes, on Tuesday December 25, 2012 In 1961, with the inauguration of its storewide import fairs, Bloomingdale’s commissioned its first series of designer bags to omit the store’s name. The department store became known for its “retail theater,” engaging leading artists, photographers, graphic designers, and fashion designers to create accompanying bags for special promotions. shopping bags, graphic design, Holiday, Christmas, folk art, John Jay, Bloomingdale's, Karen Jakobsen, New York City, retail
Citizen Architect Posted by Cynthia E. Smith, on Sunday December 23, 2012 “All architects expect and hope that their work will act as a servant in some sense for humanity–to make a better world. This is a search we should always be undertaking.” —Samuel Mockbee Samuel Mockbee, D.K. Ruth, Rural Studio, Alabama, Mississippi, Auburn University, Architecture, residential, built environments, low-cost housing, cameras, film, recycled wood, architectural drawings
Echoes of Techno Posted by Pamela Lawton, on Saturday December 22, 2012 In Niklaus Troxler’s abstraction, green and yellow bands pulsate on black. Rectangular slivers of shapes draw the viewer across and down. Diagonal paths form along the way. Reinforced by its title, Echoes of Techno, the image emits rhythm and sound, progressing over time. Niklaus Troxler, jazz, posters, New York City, Jazz Willisau, Switzerland, techno, graphic design
Exodus Posted by Maxwell Tielman, on Friday December 21, 2012 “Work? It’s just serious play,” Saul Bass remarked in a 1993 interview. Indeed, Saul Bass’s marvelous career, which spanned from the 1930s until his death in 1996, is defined by his trademark wit, humor, and playfulness. Whether it was in movie posters, billboards, brand identities, or packaging design, Bass always injected his work with a delightful energy and intelligence, quite remarkable given the distilled simplicity of his work. Saul Bass, poster, graphic design, Arts Students League, Bauhaus, Paul Rand, Alvin Lustig, New York City, film, Judaism
Andean woman’s mantle Posted by Elena Phipps, on Thursday December 20, 2012 This beautiful cloth is a woman’s shoulder mantle, called a lliclla in the Quechua language of the Inca Empire, and was made during the colonial period of Peru. A perfect blend of the cross-cultural elements of the 16^th- and 17^th-century era of global trade, the Chinese silk and Spanish silver threads are woven with Inca techniques and design motifs. textiles, woven, weaving, thread, Peru, Inca, Andes
Wall Treatments with Impact Posted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Wednesday December 19, 2012 These two designs were among the samples removed from a wallpaper sample book produced by the Grantil Company in 1928. While each of these patterns is boldly styled and colored in itself, they were designed to be used in tandem. A number of samples contained in this book had applied lithographed illustrations showing the manufacturer’s suggestions for using these papers to best effect, which often included the combination of multiple papers on a single wall. Art Deco, wallpaper, pink, patterns
A Model of Speed and Performance Posted by Cynthia Trope, on Tuesday December 18, 2012 Models and prototypes are an important part of Cooper-Hewitt’s collection. They represent a step in the design process and a way of showing the story of an object from concept to final product. Walter Dorwin Teague, Walter Dorwin Teague Jr., Marmon Motor Car Company, Boucher, Marmon Sixteen, car, Jazz Age, Streamline, Great Depression
Bound to be Beautiful Posted by Adrienne Meyer, on Monday December 17, 2012 One of the treasures of our collection, Wine Women and Song, has a fascinating history. This elaborately bound first edition of John Addington Symond’s 1884 English translation of 13th-century medieval drinking songs was produced in England in 1907 by bookbinders Sangorski & Sutcliffe, renowned for their intricate bindings ornamented with gilt work and precious stones. rare books, book bindings, guilding, tooled leather, Arts & Crafts, wine, grapes, grape leaves, luxury, Sangorski & Sutcliffe, medieval songs, National Design Library