For this installment of Driving for Deco’s series on the Chase Specialty Line, we will look at the pieces we have in our collection designed by Russel Wright.

 

Russel Wright

A multimedia designer, Russel Wright (1904-1976) designed 13 items for the Chase Speciality line during the 1930s. Born in Lebanon, Ohio, Wright’s lineage goes back to signers of the Declaration of Independence. He entered the industrial design field while working as a set designer for Norman Bel Geddes. Wright’s approach to design came from his belief that the dining room table was the center of the home. By the early 1930s Wright began to establish his designer reputation with a series of spun aluminum, raffia, cork and wood serving pieces.

 

These very modern articles caught the attention of Chase, which then hired Wright. After Wright’s time with Chase he went on to design the best selling American pottery line of all time, American Modern for Steubenville Pottery. Wright would design pottery for Bauer and Casual China by Iroquois. Vinyl fabrics for DuPont and furniture and lighting for various companies. Throughout the 1950s & 1960s Wright slowly retreated from the design field, retiring in 1968. Russel Wright died eight years later in 1976.

 

Now let’s take a look at some of  Wright’s designs for the Chase Specialty Line.

 

Pancake and Corn Set

(1935 -1939)

 

 

This amusing four-piece set designed by Russell (sic) Wright in polished chromium will add sparkle and color to any table setting. Deep blue glass forms the bottom of the tray. The pitcher made be used for syrup, drawn butter, cream, French dressing or chocolate sauce for ice cream. The spheres will hold salt and pepper, powered sugar or other condiments. Price complete $4.50 ($91.30 in 2021); pitcher only $2.00 ($40.58 in 2021). – 1935 Chase Catalog.

 

 

This is one of the most collectible sets of the entire Chase line. A complete set usually sells for around $300.00, but some online stores sell these for as much as $950.00. With some effort the set can be put together from the individual pieces. The blue glass tray is prone to scratching so be careful when purchasing one online sight unseen.

 

Salt & Pepper Spheres

(1935 – 1942)

 

Costing only $1.00 per set ($20.29 in 2021), these salt and pepper shakers were very popular. Today these are easily found in the collectors market. From 1935 – 1941 they featured screwable metal bases. For 1942 (their last year of production), due to the beginning of wartime restrictions on metal, white plastic bases were used. A couple of condition issues to look out for when purchasing a set today are to make sure the bases screw on and off easily, they tend to fuse to the body of the shaker. And to look at the chrome around the holes, it tends to wear off, especially from corrosion from salt.

 

Ice Bowl and Tongs

(1935 – 1939)

This classic bowl, 7 inches in diameter designed for Chase by Russell (sic) Wright, holds an ample supply of ice in cracked or cubed form. The bowl may also be used without the tongs for potato chips, pretzels, crackers or nuts. The handle makes it easy to hold in passing food when entertaining. Finished in chromium or combination polished brass and polished copper. Price, complete with tongs, $4.50 ($91.30 in 2021) each. – 1935 Chase Catalog.

 

 

The ice bowl is a relatively easy piece to find. What is more difficult is finding one with its original tongs. A simple but stylish design, the only decorative element of the set is the fluting on the curved handle and matching tongs. The ice bowl and tongs is typical of Wright’s  aesthetic and fits the Streamline Moderne movement of the mid-1930s.

 

Cocktail Ball and Olympia Saucer

(1936 – 1942)

Looking like an explosive mine or a really spiky version of Sputnik, the Cocktail Ball and Olympia Saucer added an almost avant-garde, modernist touch to parties in the 1930s. These are more examples of a Wright design that is simple yet striking.

 

Cocktail Ball – This shining Cocktail Ball is for serving cocktail sausages, tiny fish balls, shrimp, olives wrapped in bacon, and other hors d’oeuvres on toothpicks. – 1942 Chase Catalog.

Olympia Saucer – This saucer, shown with the Cocktail Ball, can be used with a syrup or cream pitcher, or marmalade or berry jar. – 1942 Chase Catalog.

 

At only $1.00 ($20.00 in 2021) for the Cocktail Ball and $0.75 ($15.00 in 2021) for the Olympia Saucer these two items sold very well. Finding them today at antique stores and flea markets is relatively easy. The only conditions to be aware of (other than surface scratches) is the chrome plating wearing off and exposing the brass base metal. And the drying out of the maroon rubber base on the Cocktail Ball, causing it to crack and eventually fall apart.

 

Sphere Pitcher

(1937 – 1939)

Sugar Sphere

(1937 – 1941)

 

And here is a look back at the two of Wright’s designs from our previous article on the Chase Specialty Line,  the Sphere Pitcher and the Sugar Sphere. To read more about these two pieces click here.

 

For our next installment on the Chase Specialty Line Driving for Deco will take a look at the barware and drinking accessories they made.

 

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen Guys)

 

SOURCES

The Complete Chase – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

The Chase Era 1933 and 1942 Catalogs of the Chase Brass & Copper Co. – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

Chase Catalogs 1934 and 1935 Catalogs – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

Art Deco Chrome Book 2: A Collector’s Guide Industrial Design in the Chase Era – Richard J. Kilbride

Russel Wright Creating American Lifestyle – Donald Albrecht, Robert Schonfeld, Lindsay Stamm Shaprio