Mirrors, a commonplace fixture in the modern world, were not always the familiar accessory that they are today. Although some form of mirror has existed since ancient times, mirrors such as this 18th-century example used early industrial processes to create the fragile, metal-coated glass panes placed within a decorative frame. During the 18th century glass-making...
This week’s entries are dedicated to objects featured in the exhibition Thom Browne Selects (see installation image above), currently on view at Cooper Hewitt through October 23, 2016. The following is an excerpt from a conversation that I had with American fashion designer and National Design Award winner, Thom Browne, about his museum exhibition and...
This week’s entries are dedicated to objects featured in the exhibition Thom Browne Selects, currently on view at Cooper Hewitt through October 23, 2016. Framing is a common practice. In contemporary society we experience literal and metaphorical framing on a daily basis. As one looks out of their apartment window, scrolls through their New York...
This week’s entries are dedicated to objects featured in the exhibition Thom Browne Selects, currently on view at Cooper Hewitt through October 23, 2016. Hector Guimard, well known as a prolific French architect-designer, demonstrates a more refined style during Art Nouveau through his use of pearwood. It was of utmost importance to Guimard to emphasize...
Framed rectangular vignettes are vertically stacked like ashlar blocks on this French wallpaper ca. 1855-75. The frames are printed in yellow and brown and depict bead-and-reel molding. Two square scenes in the center of the page show men both leading horses to water and making them drink, but it’s the identical vignettes that span the...