Don Shoemaker Mexican Modern Bookends
About the Item
- Creator:Don S. Shoemaker (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU936630059262
Don S. Shoemaker
If it weren’t for his honeymoon, American furniture designer Don S. Shoemaker might not have played any role in Mexican modernism of the mid-20th century.
Born in Nebraska in 1919, Shoemaker studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1930s. In the 1940s he got married, and he and his wife, Barbara, ventured to Mexico for their honeymoon. Enamored with the country, Shoemaker decided that Mexico should become the newlyweds' permanent home. They settled in a town called Santa Maria de Guido in Michoacán, where Shoemaker spent his days painting and growing rare plants.
Through horticulture, Shoemaker became inspired by Mexico’s tropical woods, such as the cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to delve into furniture design. In the late 1950s, he started a small factory, producing hand-carved armchairs, dining room tables, decorative boxes and bowls, and serveware. The popularity of Shoemaker’s furnishings grew throughout Mexico, and his small factory became the Señal S.A. company, employing more than 100 skilled artisans and carpenters.
Shoemaker’s handcrafted designs were essentially a mid-century modern interpretation of traditional Mexican household furnishings, and like Clara Porset — an unsung Cuban-born activist, writer and designer who drew on Mexican craft traditions in her concepts for furniture — he found inspiration from his adopted country. These influences can be seen in iconic Shoemaker originals like the Sling collection of seating, the Suspension stool and several of his table designs.
Shoemaker's furniture was exhibited in showrooms in several major Mexican cities and across the U.S., including Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles (and mid-century modernist ideas that traveled between Mexico and California didn’t make one-way trips — they bounced back and forth).
After Shoemaker died in 1990, his son George took over Señal S.A. The company closed after George’s death in the early 2000s.
Shoemaker’s Mexican modern furnishings continue to be coveted by avid furniture collectors around the world. From 2016 to 2017, the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City dedicated a retrospective exhibition to honoring his work.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Don S. Shoemaker desks, seating, decorative objects and serveware.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Mexican Modern Don Shoemaker Wood TraysBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CASet of four serving trays or plates by Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker, from his workshop in Señal Mexico. Designer Don Shoemaker ( was born in Nebraska and studied at the Art Inst...Category
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
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- Don Shoemaker Mexican Modern Rare Bowl Hand-CarvedBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful and very rare attributed to Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker. No labels but according to the owner this piece was purchased with a lot of items by Don Shoemaker hand carved ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
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- Don Shoemaker Mexican Modern Cutting Board or Server TrayBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CAUnused mixed wood cutting board or serving tray by Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker. Retains original labels from his workshop in Señal Mexico.Category
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- Mexican Modern Don Shoemaker Inlaid Wall Mount Bar TrayBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CATray by Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker, from his workshop in Señal Mexico. Beautiful geometric inlaid marquetry of mixed exotic woods. Can be mounted on the wall. Designer Don Sho...Category
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Barware
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- Rare Cocobolo Don Shoemaker Fountain, Organic Mexican Mid-Century Modern, 1960sBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CAExceptional one of a kind organic midcentury Mexican modernist fountain designed by Don Shoemaker. Don Shoemaker fountain is made of Cocobolo woo...Category
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- Don Shoemaker Mexican Modern Cutting Board and Salt and Pepper ShakersBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CACutting board or serving tray and mixed exotic woods salt and pepper shakers by Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker. Retains original label from his w...Category
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- Mexican Modern Bookends by Don ShoemakerBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Mexico City, CDMXCirca 1970. We offer this Hand carved bookends made in Cocobolo by Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker. Include original labels from his workshop in Señal Mexico.Category
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Bookends
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- Don Shoemaker Bookends for SeñalBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo LeonBorn in Nebraska, Don S. Shoemaker studied painting at The Fine Arts Institution of Chicago. In the late 1940s, he moved to Mexico with his family and settled in Santa Maria de Guido...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Bookends
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- Don Shoemaker for Señal Bookends in Solid CocoboloBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Los Angeles, CAA pair of solid wood bookends by Mexican-American designer Don Shoemaker for his company, Señal. Rendered in highly figured cocobolo wood, a species of local tropical wood similar to...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Bookends
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- Don Shoemaker Sculpted Rosewood Bookends for Señal FurnitureBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Los Angeles, CADon shoemaker sculpted rosewood bookends for Señal Furniture.Category
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- Don S. Shoemaker Sculpted Cocobolo Bookends for Señal FurnitureBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Los Angeles, CADon S. Shoemaker sculpted cocobolo bookends for Señal Furniture.Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsRosewood, Cocobolo
- Don Shoemaker for Señal Bookends in Solid CocoboloBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Los Angeles, CAA pair of solid wood bookends by Mexican-American designer Don Shoemaker for his company, Señal. Rendered in highly figured cocobolo wood, a species of local tropical wood similar to...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsCocobolo
