Modern Historical Memorabilia
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
2010s American Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Historical Memorabilia
Terracotta
1970s American Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Historical Memorabilia
Fabric, Mahogany
1990s Japanese Modern Historical Memorabilia
Leather
1990s American Modern Historical Memorabilia
Wood, Paint
1950s American Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Historical Memorabilia
Terracotta
20th Century European Modern Historical Memorabilia
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Plaster
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Historical Memorabilia
Terracotta
Late 20th Century African Modern Historical Memorabilia
Natural Fiber, Wood
Late 20th Century African Modern Historical Memorabilia
Other
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Steel
Early 20th Century English Modern Historical Memorabilia
Iron
Late 20th Century European Modern Historical Memorabilia
Pyrite
Late 20th Century African Modern Historical Memorabilia
Other
Early 20th Century English Modern Historical Memorabilia
Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Historical Memorabilia
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Historical Memorabilia
Gold Leaf
20th Century Modern Historical Memorabilia
Silver
1930s American Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Historical Memorabilia
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21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Historical Memorabilia
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21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Historical Memorabilia
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Early 20th Century Italian Modern Historical Memorabilia
Stone
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Historical Memorabilia
Stone
1970s English Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
1970s French Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
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Mid-20th Century American Modern Historical Memorabilia
Chrome, Brass
20th Century American Modern Historical Memorabilia
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Late 19th Century French Antique Modern Historical Memorabilia
Wood
20th Century English Modern Historical Memorabilia
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Historical Memorabilia
Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Historical Memorabilia
Glass, Plexiglass