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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A Modernist Mother's Helper Posted by Cynthia Trope and Annie Hall, on Sunday May 12, 2013 A fascinating confluence of design, technology, utility, and social influences is embodied in the Radio Nurse, part of a wireless microphone and speaker system introduced in 1938 by the Zenith Radio Corporation, conceived as a baby monitor and aid for home or hospital. The system consisted of a sculptural transmitter called the Radio Nurse, designed by artist Isamu Noguchi, and a simple, functional box-like receiver called the Guardian Ear. Isamu Noguchi, Zenith Radio Corporation, Radio Nurse, baby monitor, Bakelite, modernism
English Flowers in Fashion Posted by Kimberly Randall, on Saturday May 11, 2013 An embroidered waistcoat from the Greenleaf collection is a fine example of English aristocratic style from the late eighteenth century. Although France dictated the fashionable silhouette for a man’s suit, which consisted of a coat, waistcoat and knee breeches, the English made subtle changes that allowed for more ease and comfort. The lifestyles of French and English aristocrats can explain the differing attitudes toward courtly dress. waistcoat
A Modern Flat Floral Posted by Carly Lewis, on Friday May 10, 2013 A limited yet dynamic color palette breathes life into the flat color motifs of this screen-printed woven linen textile by Ruth Hildegard Geyer-Raack. Ruth Hildegard Geyer-Raack, Josef Hillerbrand, Bauhaus, Deutsche Werkstatten
One window, three curtains Posted by Susan Brown, on Thursday May 09, 2013 On April 22 of this year, the Economic and Social Council Chamber (ECOSOC) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York was re-inaugurated after a renovation project. The original interior furnishings of the chamber were a gift from the nation of Sweden, and were designed by architect Sven Markelius. The focal point of the room is a 72 by 23 foot window facing the East River. Since the chamber’s opening in 1952, this window has been the site of three spectacular curtains by Swedish designers. Marianne Richter, Studio Märta Måås-Fjetterström, Sven Markelius, Ann Edholm, The United Nations
The Bet on the Bagatelle Posted by Sarah R. Donahue, on Wednesday May 08, 2013 Each of the objects depicted in this drawing was designed specifically for the Pavilion de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne, in Paris, a royal pleasure palace. Though the andirons bear Queen Marie Antoinette’s initials these objects were not made for her, but rather for her brother-in-law, the Comte d’Artois. In 1777, in a one hundred thousand francs bet, the Queen challenged Artois to build a bagattella, meaning trifle or folly, in two months, just in time to receive the court returning to Paris from their summer sojourn at Fontainbleau. Andiron, Sconce, bronze, Bagatelle, paris, drawing, Jean Démosthène Dugourc, François-Joseph Belanger
Marion Dorn's Zodiac Posted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Tuesday May 07, 2013 Zodiac by Marion Dorn (American, 1899-1964) is an early screen-printed wallpaper produced by the American firm Bassett & Vollum. Containing the 12 signs of the zodiac with six printed in brilliant colors and six overprinted in white outline, Zodiac is a large-scale design printed on a deep green, almost black ground. The bold coloring and strong lines are characteristic of Dorn’s work. Each zodiac sign is rendered in a simplistic manner and printed in a solid block of color, with only the most essential elements delineated. Marion Dorn, zodiac, astrology, screen-print
Polychromed Plumes Posted by Elizabeth Broman, on Monday May 06, 2013 During the last quarter of the 19th century, feather decoration for hats, fans, and boas was at its peak; in 1886, 77% of women’s hats were decorated with feathers and a milliner’s window had a display of colorful ostrich tips and plumes. They were used not only on hats, but were also used in trimming dresses, wraps, and to a large extent used in making exotic fans. Smithsonian Libraries, ostrich feathers, Alexander Paul, millinery, Victorian fashion, Godey's Lady's book, Peterson's Magazine
The Obsidian Serpent Posted by Kimberly Randall, on Sunday May 05, 2013 There are hundreds of embroidered samplers in the Textiles Department – they are a collection strength spanning several centuries and many countries. My favorite samplers are those from Mexico for they often show the convergence of European and indigenous cultures in their motifs and designs. While there are a number of beautiful samplers from Mexico, only one has an intriguing figure known as the Obsidian Serpent. Mexico, samplers
A Frequently Asked Question Posted by Gail S. Davidson, on Saturday May 04, 2013 This view of Frederic Edwin Church’s home Olana outside Hudson, New York is one of 2,035 oil sketches and graphite drawings by Church in Cooper-Hewitt’s collections. The Church archive represents the largest collection of the artist’s works on paper in the world! Church was one of the most prominent figures in the Hudson River School, the only student of the movement’s founder Thomas Cole. Church’s breathtaking and luminous depictions of landscapes both in America and abroad have earned him the status as one of the most beloved art Frederic Edwin Church, Olana, landscape, Hudson River School, Thomas Cole, gardens
Original Poster Posted by Micah Walter, on Friday May 03, 2013 When I started working at Cooper-Hewitt, I really had no idea what the collection was all about. At the time we had a very limited online collection, which included less than 1000 objects. As I started to investigate that museum website I thought it would be interesting to go through the process of searching for and actually viewing an object "IRL" (In Real Life).