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!
Trompe l'oeil Wallpaper FriezePosted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Tuesday January 01, 2013I have always been captivated by the realism and voluptuousness of this frieze. This trompe l’oeil design, with its drapery swags, ostrich plumes, jewels, and tassels, is an over-the-top depiction of luxury materials. The attention to detail required to bring this degree of realism to light is exemplary. The drapery swags are flocked, then overprinted with several colors to create highlights and shadows that better capture the look of silk velvet. wallpaper, frieze, drapery, passementerie, jewels, trompe l'oeil |
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How many bubbles do you like?Posted by Sarah D. Coffin, on Monday December 31, 2012Those who drink champagne have varying ideas how bubbly it should be. This glass prompted me to think about how the shape of a glass affects the taste of champagne. Although we tend to associate saucer-style champagne glasses with elegant figures from the 1920s, this shape existed well before then. champagne, Glass, saucer, flute, celebration, bubbles, fizz, Lobmeyr |
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Dude Never Would Be MissedPosted by Kimberly Randall, on Sunday December 30, 2012While researching one of our printer-dyer record books for the Cooper-Hewitt exhibition Multiple Choice: From Sample to Product, I discovered a curious fabric swatch on page 105. record book, textile printing, swatches, fabric, American, opera, 19th century |
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Fresco PapersPosted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Saturday December 29, 2012Scenic wallpapers were the epitome of block-printed wallpapers, requiring thousands of wood blocks to print a non-repeating scene that could wrap a room in a continuous landscape view. Scenic wallpapers were introduced around 1804 and remained popular as new scenes were added until the 1860s. Around the 1840s, a new style emerged that altered the scenic landscape format through the introduction of decors, also known as fresco papers. Alpine, cow, wallcovering, fresco, decor, landscapes |
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Like a Patchwork of LightPosted by Cynthia Trope, on Friday December 28, 2012Murano, an island located just north of Venice, Italy, in the Laguna Veneta, has been a glass-making center since the late 13th century. This cheerfully colorful pezzato (dappled) vase was produced by the Venini Glassworks of Murano. Founded by Paulo Venini in 1925, the firm retained the great technical traditions of Venetian glass-working methods while developing a new aesthetic, and has been credited with reviving Venetian glass design in the 20th century. Glass, Venini, Fulvio Bianconi, Murano, Venice, Italy, pezzato |
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Radio City Music Hall: A Celebration of American Modern DesignPosted by Beth Ram, on Thursday December 27, 2012Donald Deskey, Radio City Music Hall, Industrial Design, Bauhaus, Samuel Rothafel, rococo, carpet design, entertainment, drawing, Great Depression, New York City |
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Eco-friendly WallcoveringPosted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Wednesday December 26, 2012Collecting 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 |
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Holiday ShoppingPosted by Allison Grimes, on Tuesday December 25, 2012In 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 |
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Citizen ArchitectPosted 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 |
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Echoes of TechnoPosted by Pamela Lawton, on Saturday December 22, 2012In 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 |
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