Category Archives: Industrial Design

Antique stores, Barnegat through Smithville, NJ

1 Reply

With the beautifully temperate February weather (69 degrees, to be exact) Anthony and I spent the day exploring antiques stores, Barnegat through Smithville, NJ.  We’re hitting the road again and getting back to our roots – Driving for deco!

Bay Avenue Antiques and Antiques, Barnegat, NJ

Bay Avenue Antiques, Barnegat, NJ. Antiques is just visible. It is the white house on the right edge of the picture.

Heading south toward Barnegat, NJ, our first stop was Bay Avenue Antiques. A mix of old and new items of good variety greeted us. Prices were fair and the owner was willing to bargain with her patrons. We did contemplate purchasing a vintage Fiesta comport but decided against it. If you’re in the area, it is well worth the stop.

Across the street within viewing and walking distance was another shop. I don’t remember the name although we both believe it called Antiques. Full of curiosities, it seemed to specialize in “smalls”. The nicest thing Anthony saw was a 1948 RCA Victor TV, possibly designed by John Vossos. While the store didn’t have what we generally collect, for those of you on the hunt, it might be a place to check out.

We lunched at Doyle’s Pour House right next door to Bay Ave Antiques. Part pool hall, part restaurant, we devoured the delicious signature Pour House hamburger and enjoyed it with the beer of our choice. We will definitely go back when in the area.

Our next stop was completely unexpected and the gem of the day. Unshredded Nostalgia was not on our plan but was a real find. Just south of Bay Avenue Antiques, it is jam packed full of military, household, photographic memorabilia both still and movie related and ephemera. Greeted by piles of film canisters, the proprietor and Anthony found they had a mutual acquaintance in the film world. Although packed with narrow aisles, the store is well organized. Collectors of postcards will love the back room; magazines in another room, household in yet another. Venture upstairs and a world of film, movie and music occupies the entire space. Vintage posters, sheet music, books about stage and screen as well as star related novelties abound.

Anthony was tempted to buy several 1930 Fortune magazines but at $40 each, they were a bit out of reach, He did find set of vintage movie stars pictures – part a collection he already has – at very reasonable prices. Originals from 1934, they were sold at newsstands as an inexpensive way for people to own an 8×10 of their favorite stars. Though not easy to find, they are not an expensive collectible and are always exciting to see. As usual, I bargained the price down.

Heading further south, we stopped at the Tuckerton Emporium. Mostly candles, jewelry and modern fireplaces, you won’t get bogged down at Cedar Bog Antiques. This small corner did have antiques of the household variety.

Days of Olde Antiques, Smithville , NJ

Days Of Olde Antiques, Smithville, NJ (Photo from their website)

Our final stop of the day was Days of Olde Antiques in Smithville, NJ. A large variety of goods of varying quality and prices await within. Though there were many items of interest we didn’t make any buys. A pair of very stylish deco horse statues called to me but I resisted. I received some bad news while shopping that a vintage panther statue I inherited from my father broke while being packed. Undaunted and working through my tears, I found a replacement – charged to the estate of course!

 

It was good to get back on the road again and better to locate a gem of a store previously unknown to us. If the weather holds, we’ll be doing some more Driving for deco!

 

Hope we inspired you to get out and explore.

Chris & Anthony (the Freakin’ ‘Tiquen Guys) 

Please follow and like us:
0

Do you know the Muffin Man?

Leave a reply

Well, good for you! This post is not about the Muffin Man that lives on Drury Lane. It is about the Pretzel Man!

 

If you read our prior post about the Kensington Giftware line, then you know the Great Depression of 1929 influenced many companies to reimagine their products in creative ways to survive. Chase Co., primarily known for plumbing fittings, was no exception. Reinventing itself, Chase Co. quickly and wisely diversified making household items from available plumbing stock by collaborating with fashionable designers such as Lurelle Guild, Harry Laylon, Russell Wright and Walter Von Nessen. Using their designs, Chase Co. produced  both beautiful and useful items for every occasion. In some cases, the items were just for fun!

 

The signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act into law on March 22, 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, legalized beer and wine with low alcohol content. Ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933 repealed the Eighteenth Amendment. The end of prohibition influenced the development of bar-ware on a massive scale by many companies and directly lead to the whimsical Pretzel Man.

 

From the fertile mind of Lurelle Guild, he was depicted in 1933 advertisements and was part of the 1934-1936 Chase catalog in a polished copper finish with a brass spike. A New York Herald Tribune article from June 25, 1933 described this fellow as “frivolous” – meant in the kindest way, of course! The cost? $1.00. Although featured in polished chrome in the ad shown above (and at an advertised cost of $1.75), he did not make an appearance in the Chase Co. catalog with this finish until 1935. Very little information is available about this fellow beyond the obvious.

In copper, he would fall into the “hard to find” range at a cost of $100-$120. The chrome would be in the “difficult to find” range and you can expect to pay $180-$200. In either version, it is incomplete without the spike. As seen above, I am fortunate to own a copper one, with it’s spike, found for half the estimated value.  He is approximately 9 inches wide and 16 inches tall.  More than half the height is the spike.  A word of caution, the spike is very long and can be dangerous.  Be sure to use with caution.

 

Several of the copper version are currently available on popular auction sites. One is complete and a reasonable $110.00 asking price. Another one is for sale at a whopping $495 and missing the spike!

 

I hope you enjoyed this brief post about a fun deco collectible. (And thanks to my “hand models” – Susanna, Jonathan and Anthony.)

Chris and Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

If you enjoyed spending time with the Pretzelman you might enjoy these earlier         Driving For Deco Posts –

Cocktails for Two . . . or More

Napier Cocktail Shaker – Weekend Find

Kensington, Deco Aluminum Giftware

 

 

Please follow and like us:
0

The Start of the 2016 “Freakin’, Tiquen'” Season and a trip to two flea markets.

2 Replies

With the Pier Antique Show in New York City being discontinued this year the start of our “Freakin’, Tiquen'” season was delayed until the Memorial Day weekend and a visit to two flea markets. We wanted to try something new so it was off the exotic land of Brooklyn, New York and a visit to the Brooklyn Flea in the Fort Greene neighborhood. That was on the Saturday of the holiday weekend. The Friday before I made one of my research trips to the New York Public Library at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. On my way to the library I passed by the American Radiator Building (now the Bryant Park Hotel) on West 40th Street. Designed in 1924 by John Howells and Raymond Hood, in a combination Gothic and Modern style, that I would call “proto-deco”. The building was made famous by a 1927 Georgia O’Keefe painting Radiator Building-Night New York. 

 

The American Radiator Building (Bryant Park Hotel) .

The American Radiator Building (Bryant Park Hotel) .

 

The facade of the building is in black brick to represent coal, the gold decorations are representations of parts of a radiator.

 

Radiator Building-Night New York, by Georgia O'Keefe.

Radiator Building-Night New York, by Georgia O’Keefe.

 

While waiting for the library to open, I snapped a photograph of 10 East 40th Street. In the 1930’s the building was known as the Chase Tower. Not Chase Bank, but the showroom for the Chase Copper and Brass Company’s specialty giftwares. The showroom was on the top floor of the building, in the space behind the arched windows.

 

The former Chase Tower at 10 East 40th Street, through an arch of the New York Public Library.

The former Chase Tower at 10 East 40th Street, through an arch of the New York Public Library.

 

On Saturday Chris and I were meeting friends for what would be for our first visit to one of the Brooklyn Fleas, on this trip it was the Fort Greene Flea.

 

I wish we had driven to Brooklyn, as there were a couple of bigger items, a nice Deco console table with a blue glass top; also a reproduction copper panel molded from an original off the Boston Electric building.

Reproduction Art Deco copper panel.

Reproduction Art Deco copper panel.

 

While I only purchased a nice plaid, seersucker necktie from the 1920’s our friends bought a very, very nice reverse painted, Art Deco picture frame with the hand colored photo of Loretta Young that was in the frame when it sold back in the 1930’s.

 

Loretta Young photo in a Deco reverse painted frame.

Loretta Young photo in a Deco reverse painted frame.

 

After leaving the flea market and lunch we were off to the Brooklyn Museum to view some of the Art Deco treasures on display there.

 

The Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum

 

Silver Plated Art Deco.

 

 

Architectural Art Deco

Tubular Steel Furniture

 

Marcel Breuer tubular steel furniture. From top to bottom: Side Chair, Model B5 (1925); Armchair, Model B4 (1927); Table, Model B19 (1928)

Marcel Breuer tubular steel furniture. From top to bottom: Side Chair, Model B5 (1925); Armchair, Model B4 (1927); Table, Model B19 (1928)

 

Weil-Worgelt Study

(Originally at 575 Park Avenue, New York City)

 

The Golden Nugget Flea Market

 

Anthony at the Golden Nugget.

Anthony at the Golden Nugget.

Sunday it was off to one of our favorite flea markets, the Golden Nugget, near Lambertville, New Jersey. We have always had good luck at the Golden Nugget and this weekend was no different.

 

One of the two Deco purchases was this set of six, chrome Chase tumblers. These are not common, Chris has only come across one of these before at $28.00 and it wasn’t in that great of condition. This set was $40.00 and the tumblers are in very nice shape. The simple design of the etched rings at the bottom give the tumblers a great streamline look.

 

Set of six Chase chrome tumblers.

Set of six Chase chrome tumblers.

 

The best find of the day was a Kodak Beau Brownie No. 2 in Black and Maroon. Designed by Walter Dorwin Teague, these Art Deco cameras were in production from 1930-1933. It is not in perfect shape, but it was only $15.00, so I was not going to pass it up.

 

 

 

This was a great start to the new “Freakin’, Tiquen'” season. We can’t wait to see what other finds we will come across this summer.

 

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

 

For more about Walter Dorwin Teague check out this past Driving For Deco post:

Walter Dorwin Teague Treasures at the Dallas Museum of Art

 

Please follow and like us:
0

Modernist Textiles of Radio City Music Hall

1 Reply
The Radio City Music Hall Marquee

The Radio City Music Hall Marquee

 

 

On Saturday March 12th, The Art Deco Society of New York offered its members a tour of the Radio City Music Hall. It was a great tour and included a trip into Roxy’s Apartment, which is usually off-limits. This was the first time I was in the theatre in over 20 years and the first time since its major restoration in 1999.

 

Erza Winter's "Fountain of Youth" Mural on the Grand Staircase of Radio CIty Music Hall

Erza Winter’s “Fountain of Youth” Mural on the Grand Staircase of Radio CIty Music Hall

 

I have always loved the Music Hall and I’m glad that it was saved from slated demolition in 1978. There are so many impressive features of the theatre, but what struck me the most on the tour was something that I have barely taken notice of before, the textiles. The carpets and wall coverings are masterworks of modernist design.

 

Industrial designer Donald Deskey won the commission to decorate the two enormous Rockefeller Center theatres, the International (soon changed to Radio City) Music Hall and the R.K.O. Roxy. Because the scale of the theatres were so large Deskey turned over the interior decoration work for the R.K.O. Roxy to Eugene Schoen. Deskey hired a team of modern artists to decorate various sections of the Music Hall. This team of artists included Marguerite Mergentine, Louis Bouche, Stuart Davis, Buk Ulreich, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Witold Gordon and Ruth Reeves. Reeves had already collaborated with Deskey on furniture he designed for the Ypsilanti Reed Furniture Company. Reeves provided modernist textiles for the cushions, inspired by the artwork of Henri Matisse.

 

Ruth Reeves (1892-1966) painting "The History of Theatre" fabric wall covering.

Ruth Reeves (1892-1966) painting “The History of Theatre” fabric wall covering.

 

Ruth Reeves‘ textile design was influenced by cubism and that is clearly seen in her two works at the Music Hall. Still Life with Musical Instruments is probably Reeves most recognizable textile work. Comprised of very abstract and not so abstract representations of a guitar, banjo, clarinet, saxophone, accordion and harp in shades of gray, gold, rust, cream and black adorn the carpets in the Grand Foyer and its adjoining staircases.

 

 

 

Reeves’ other textile covers the entire rear wall and lower side walls of the auditorium. Titled History of the Theatre, it is executed in shades of browns and sepia.

 

Ruth Reeves' History of the Theatre fabric wall covering.

Ruth Reeves’ History of the Theatre fabric wall covering.

 

Donald Deskey designed several textiles located around the theatre. His vision in the Grand Lounge carries a “diamond” theme from the ceiling lights through the mirrored columns right down to the carpet.

 

 

Deskey was a master of using out of the ordinary materials to make a statement. Nowhere is this more true than in the second mezzanine men’s lounge. The walls are covered by aluminum foil (donated by the Reynolds Tobacco Company) wallpaper with brown figures depicting the growing and selling of tobacco. Entitled Nicotine, it is the perfect wall covering for the space.

 

 

 

The elevator bank off the Grand Lounge has a carpet that I will attribute to Ruth Reeves. If the  designer of this carpet was mentioned on the tour I have forgotten it and I cannot find any references in print or online about it. The reason for the Reeves attribution is the strong influence of Henri Matisse.

 

The carpet in the elevator lobby off the Grand Lounge. Possibly designed by Ruth Reeves.

The carpet in the elevator lobby off the Grand Lounge. Possibly designed by Ruth Reeves.

 

Some styles of carpets at Radio City Music Hall.

Radio City Music Hall carpets. The Grand Lounge, elevator lobby and the stairs leading down from the Grand Foyer..

 

Singing Women the auditorium carpet, designed by Donald Deskey.

Singing Women the auditorium carpet, designed by Donald Deskey.

 

Deskey added a fun, whimsical touch with his carpet Singing Women for the auditorium. In shades of cream and blue against a light brown background, it compliments Ruth Reeves fabric wall covering perfectly.

 

The walls of the first mezzanine men’s smoking room are covered in a canvas mural. Designed by Witold Gordon it depicts in a stylized, modernistic version of Maps of the World.

 

 

 

If Donald Deskey did not design the textured, brown and gold tokko (heavyweight jacquard decorative fabrics with large designs) wall covering in all the mezzanine promenades, he did approve its installation. The Deskey designed lighting fixtures harmonize perfectly with the wallcovering creating a warm glow over these spaces.

 

 

The Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour is offered daily 9:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.  If you love Art Deco and you haven’t been on this tour, make it a must do on your next trip to New York.

 

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

Please follow and like us:
0