Warren McArthur Furniture
American, 1885-1961
Few 20th-century designers had influential furniture that regularly flew at 30,000 feet, but Warren McArthur did. His work on seating for military aircraft came near the end of his career, following decades of Machine Age furniture shaped from tubular forms and made of steel, chrome and aluminum.
Warren McArthur Jr. graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1908. After moving to Los Angeles in 1929, he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation a year later. His initial output of sleek, metal designs were popular in offices and hotels.
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Americans witnessed a new “Streamlined America” campaign, which included everyday furniture made from metal, opening the door for McArthur and other Machine Age designers to a residential audience. With this increase in demand for metal furniture, the Warren McArthur Corporation relocated to Rome, New York, and sold their aluminum furnishings out of a showroom on Park Avenue in New York City.
Actors Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March and Clark Gable were among his A-list clientele. McArthur also produced furniture for the dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chrysler Headquarters. His designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial Art.”
During World War II, McArthur pivoted production after a ban on the private use of aluminum. McArthur made an estimated three-quarters of all American military aircraft seating, including adjustable seats for the Beechcraft C-45 and revolving seats for navigators aboard the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
Warren McArthur closed his business in 1948. He died in 1961.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Warren McArthur armchairs, tables and other seating.
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Item Ships From: New York City
Creator: Warren McArthur
Warren McArthur Streamline Modern Aluminum Black Coffee Table Model 1559-s 1930s
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Warren McArthur
Coffee table, model 1559-s
Warren McArthur Corporation
USA, c. 1930
enameled aluminum, laminate
18½ h × 30 dia in (47 × 76 cm)
literature: Warren McArthur Corporation, Donnelly, pg. 50
Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Streamline Modern Aluminum Chair, Art Deco, 1930s, USA
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Warren McArthur chair, Warren McArthur Corporation, aluminum, leather, copper, rubber, USA, 1930s. Measures: 33½ H × 17 W × 21 D in
Provenance: Collection of Stuart Parr Private Collection
Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; . he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
Category
1930s American Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Desk
By Warren McArthur
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Black lacquered top and drawers in aluminium tube base, with aluminum handles. Original lacquer finish.
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
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Warren Mcarthur furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Warren McArthur furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Warren McArthur furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Warren McArthur were created in the Art Deco style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Warren McArthur Corporation, Kem Weber, and Sally Sirkin Lewis. Prices for Warren McArthur furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $725 and can go as high as $24,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,500.
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