1940s Russel Wright Art Deco Hardrock Maple Spun Aluminum Torchiere Floor Lamps
About the Item
- Creator:Russel Wright (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 65.25 in (165.74 cm)Width: 12 in (30.48 cm)Depth: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Corded With Original Cording. Both Lamps Works. No Dings, No Scratches, No Marring To The Bell Shaped Spun Aluminum Shades. The Thick Round Hardrock Maple Disk Base Does Have Some Wear To It Please See Pics.
- Seller Location:Monrovia, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7531232039302
Russel Wright
While industrial designer Russell Wright may be known to modern furniture enthusiasts for his streamlined end tables, dining chairs and other pieces, he is universally revered for a line of tableware he created called American Modern. Efficient, practical, and striking in their elegant forms and warm colors, the American Modern ceramic pieces, which included bowls, pitchers, dishes, and other items, became the best-selling dinnerware of all time. Today, vintage Russell Wright American Modern tableware is an evergreen favorite of art collectors and interior designers alike.
Born in 1904 in Ohio, Wright was surrounded by inspiration for the furniture he would one day design. He was raised in a Quaker household and grew up with the spare, meticulously handcrafted furniture for which the Quakers are known. As a young man, he studied art and sculpture at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the Art Students League of New York, going on to study law at Princeton University in New Jersey. But Wright loved the arts and abandoned his pursuit of a law degree to create stage sets in Princeton and Paris alongside fellow noted designer Norman Bel Geddes.
In 1927, Wright married artist and sculptor Mary Einstein. Together, they moved to New York City, where Wright began to create sculptures. Mary convinced him to create metal bookends from his sculptures, and later, when he began to craft bar accessories from chrome, he turned to aluminum, a much cheaper material for the purposes of mass production (his barware was eventually included in the "Machine Art" show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1934, which was curated by Philip Johnson).
Mary worked on marketing Russell's products, successfully proposing everyday uses for Wright's beautifully designed housewares. She is said to have been a pioneer in the world of lifestyle marketing, coining the terms "American Modern" and "blonde" to describe the charming, light-colored maple furniture he created for Conant Ball, which was known at the time for its reproductions of American Colonial furniture.
While Wright had created some Art Deco furnishings for Heywood-Wakefield, it was this group of bedroom furniture for Conant Ball that got its name, American Modern, from Mary. Under her guidance, Wright's attractive, functional designs for the home gained renown, leading to commissions by prestigious companies like the Steubenville Pottery Company.
In 1935, Wright formed Russell Wright Associates with Irving Richards, an entrepreneur who had worked with Lightolier and would later establish Raymor. In collaboration with Richards, Wright debuted the first line of American Modern dinnerware in 1939, which was initially produced by Russell Wright Associates and then manufactured by Steubenville for two decades. The line sold over 200 million pieces during its 20 years of production. In 1955, Wright was selected by the U.S. State Department to research handicraft industries in Southeast Asia, a trip that influenced his later designs.
Throughout his life, Wright continued to design furniture and housewares, with the works' signature earth tones, curved forms, and clean silhouettes of his floor lamps, lounge chairs, and serveware remaining popular staples in American households. In his later years, he focused on designing and building his home, Manitoga, and working with the National Parks Service to develop the "Summer in the Parks" program.
Upon Wright's death in 1974, Manitoga was given to the Nature Conservancy. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and today houses the Russell & Mary Wright Design Gallery, where many of Wright's works stand on permanent display. In 2011, stamps from the U.S. Postal Service featured Wright's image as one of the United States' twelve most influential industrial designers.
Find vintage Russel Wright lighting, seating, tables, serveware, ceramics and glass on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Upland, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 1950s Russel Wright for Conant Ball Sofa Mid-Century Modern with Wooden ArmsBy Russel WrightLocated in Monrovia, CABeautiful Rare Mid-Century Modern sofa by Well Known Designer Russel Wright For Conant Ball. Mid-Century Modern 1950s Russel Wright Sofa for Conant Ball Is In Excellent Vintage Condition. Original Vintage Mid Century Modern Upholstery With Original Wooden Arms. This Beautiful Rare Sofa by Russel Wright Is In Excellent Vintage Condition, Strong And Sturdy Construction. Upholstery Is Original With No Tears Or Holes And Can Be Used As Is With A Good Cleaning Please See Pic Of Back Of Sofa. This Rare Piece Can Be Seen In The Vintage Modernmates Brochure by Russel Wright Furniture...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWood
- 1960s Stylized Space Age Gerald Thurston Reading Floor Lamps Mid-Century ModernBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in Monrovia, CA1960s Gerald Thurston stylized matching space age reading floor lamps. These rare Gerald Thurston Space age lamps (2) are in excellent vintage condition. Gorgeous shades that hover like a space ship. Great lighting ability for reading. Perfect matching reading lamps for you both. Excellent vintage condition and consistent with age and use throughout the years. Color is a light creamy beige with a double gold band on each metal shade. Dimensions: 45" tall 18" elbow to shade 11 x 4...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- RARE Hard Rock Maple Conant Ball American Modern Art Deco Desk with Round PullsBy Russel WrightLocated in Monrovia, CA1940s Russel Wright Conant Ball American Modern Solid Hard Rock Maple Art Deco Round Pull Desk Very RARE. This RARE Solid Hard Rock Maple Desk With Roun...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsWood
- 1940s Vintage Mahogany Art Deco Executive Desk Called the Fletcher Aviation DeskBy Frank Fletcher, Fletcher AviationLocated in Monrovia, CAMahogany Art Deco executive desk known as the fletcher aviation desk. This beautiful Mahogany Art Deco Iconic executive desk. Known As the Fletcher aviation desk is a great American made desk 1940s. It was designed by frank Fletcher...Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Desks
MaterialsSteel
- 1940s T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings 2 Part Credenza and Glass Top CabinetBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, John WiddicombLocated in Monrovia, CAThis T. H. Robsjohn Gibbings Is A Mahogany Bowed Front Credenza, With Tapered Sides, Sabered Legs, Glass Top Cabinet/Hutch, Brass/Bronze Pulls And Shelving Top And Bottom. This Gorgeous Mahogany Cabinet Has Ample Storage Both Top And Bottom And Has Excellent Glass Top Cabinet To Show Case Your Beautiful Ceramic Or Glass Pieces. This Is An Excellent Example Of T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Curvature Design, Sturdy Gorgeous Saber Legged Credenza, See Through Glass Top Hutch...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWood, Mahogany
- Vintage 1940s Edward Wormley for Drexel "Precedent" Lounge Chairs - A Set of 2By Edward WormleyLocated in Monrovia, CAVintage 1940s Edward Wormley for Drexel "Precedent" Lounge Chairs - 2 Pieces Vintage Original Finish On The Wood Frames As Well As Original Vintage Upholstery On The Cushions. All Original Nylon Cording That Zig-Zags Between The Framing. These Vintage Lounge Chairs Does Have Normal Wear To The Wood Frames Throughout The Years Of Use. There Are Some Scuffs Here and There, Some Chipping To The Finish Here And There, and As For The Cushions It Too Is The Original Vintage Upholstery and Still Has A Lot Of Comfort To Them. There Are No Rips, Tears or Holes In The Original Upholstery. The Upholstery Is A Vintage Goldenrod Color Over All. The Webbing Is In Excellent Condition. These Chairs Are Very Comfortable, And Stable. Dimensions Are: Thirty-One and a Half Inches Deep by Twenty-Four Inches Wide by Twenty-Eight and a Half...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Art Deco Hardrock Maple & Spun Aluminum Torchère Floor Lamp by Russel WrightBy Russel WrightLocated in San Diego, CAA very rare Art Deco hardrock maple and spun aluminum torchère floor lamp by Russel Wright, circa 1940s. Overall, the lamp is in good vintage condition with some wear to the finish o...Category
Early 20th Century North American Art Deco Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- Torchiere Floor Lamp in Spun Aluminum with Brass Detail by Russel WrightBy Russel WrightLocated in Kansas City, MORussel Wright spun aluminum and brass torchiere floor lamp. All original. Three way light switch with the round wooden knob. Very good condition with no dents or scratches to the sha...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Brass
- Rare Russel Wright Floor Lamp Spun Aluminum Oak Wright Accessories IncBy Russel WrightLocated in Fraser, MIRare Russell Wright Torchiere Floor Lamp.. Made by Wright Accessories Inc: Catalog #28. Spun Aluminum Trumpet Torch, Base and Trim. Classic Russell Wright Design Themes.Category
Vintage 1930s Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- 1940's Cerused Oak and Aluminum Torchiere Floor Lamp Style of Russel WrightBy Russel WrightLocated in Rochester, NY1940's cerused oak and brushed aluminum torchiere floor lamp in the style of Russel Wright. Look at all pictures and read condition condition report in comment section.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- Pair of Machine Age Aluminum Torchiere Floor Lamps in the Style of Russel WrightBy Russel WrightLocated in San Francisco, CAA handsome pair of uncommon mid-1940s Russel Wright-style Machine Age or Art Deco aluminum torchiere floor lamps. Broad and deep spun al...Category
Vintage 1940s American Machine Age Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- Carved Oak Floor Lamp or Torchiere Attributed to Russel WrightBy Russel WrightLocated in Van Nuys, CAThis floor lamp or torchiere attributed to Russel Wright features a carved oak base, a brass base and neck, and a removable glass shade.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass