Widdicomb Streamline Moderne Blonde Mahogany Desk, circa 1930s
View Similar Items
Widdicomb Streamline Moderne Blonde Mahogany Desk, circa 1930s
About the Item
- Creator:Widdicomb Furniture Co. (Manufacturer)
- Attributed to:T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.75 in (75.57 cm)Width: 42 in (106.68 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Style:Streamlined Moderne (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In all original and overall great vintage condition; Mahogany veneer looks fantastic for its age, with only a few marks and a tiny chip or two; Lacquered edges have a number of mostly small nicks and chips; Brass pulls have age appropriate patina.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU955010583221
Widdicomb Furniture Co.
Admirers of vintage mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize the Widdicomb Furniture Company name for the fruitful partnerships it forged with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. But there is more to the Widdicomb story than the albeit quite covetable sofas and bedroom furniture it produced during the middle of the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The American city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. Furniture maker George Widdicomb emigrated from England to the United States in 1845, eventually setting up a cabinet shop in Syracuse, New York, before moving west to Grand Rapids. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
The Widdicomb shop in Grand Rapids prospered, as the patriarch’s formal English training allowed him to produce pieces with superior craftsmanship compared to those of his competitors. Although the Civil War halted business and took the life of one of the Widdicomb brothers, the family’s survivors would start anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, soon renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company.
John Widdicomb, however, split from the family business in 1897 to create the John Widdicomb Company, where he would go on to focus on Louis XV- and French Provincial-style furnishings. Chairs made in these styles have distinct characteristics, such as floral motifs carved in the frames and gently angled backrests. John's company also remained a family affair: The founder’s son, Harry, assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910, while John's nephew Ralph Widdicombe — who retained the English spelling of his last name and joined the John Widdicomb Company at its start — designed every single piece of the offerings at his uncle's manufacturing outfit until he retired in 1951. Ralph was an internationally distinguished furniture designer whose modern mahogany bedroom suite won first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900.
The original iteration of Widdicomb, which was helmed by John's older brother William while John ran his own brand, had shifted from making period revival styles of furniture, such as Georgian and Chippendale, to manufacturing modern pieces in the late 1920s. Today vintage Widdicomb seating, tables and other pieces produced during the postwar years are particularly sought after by collectors of mid-20th-century furniture.
In 1959, master woodworker George Nakashima created his Origins collection for Widdicomb when the firm merged with Mueller Furniture Corporation and was known, for around 10 years, as Widdicomb-Mueller. Origins, a revered Shaker-influenced group of nightstands, upholstered lounge chairs, dining-room tables and more, saw Nakashima working with woods like Carpathian elm and laurel in his Pennsylvania studio.
Eventually, the two Widdicomb companies would combine in 1970, operating under the name John Widdicomb Co.
In 2002, the business closed after more than a century of operations, and its assets were acquired by Stickley Furniture. Interestingly, it was not the first time Widdicomb and Stickley overlapped: In the final years of the 19th century, the companies opened a shared storehouse in London, while John Widdicomb and Albert Stickley would travel Europe together for the purposes of research.
Find vintage Widdicomb coffee tables, case pieces, dining chairs and more on 1stDibs.
- Kem Weber Streamline Moderne Chaise LoungeBy Kem Weber, lloyd manufacturing co.Located in San Francisco, CAAn early 1930s Streamline Moderne chaise lounge or daybed by Kem Weber for Lloyd Manufacturing Co. A sleek yet comfortable piece displaying the hor...Category
Vintage 1930s American Streamlined Moderne Chaise Longues
MaterialsSteel
$1,920 Sale Price20% Off - "Fred" Desk by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltrona Frau, Leather Top SurfaceBy Roberto Lazzeroni, Poltrona FrauLocated in San Francisco, CA"Fred" Desk designed by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltrona Frau, Italy. Desk frame is a solid Ash, and believe the color/stain is wenge. Leather desk top is made from a single piece of ...Category
2010s Italian Modern Desks
MaterialsLeather, Ash
$4,813 Sale Price44% Off - circa 1930s Bronze Urn / Jardinere with a Sculptural Hermaphrodite HandleLocated in San Francisco, CAOffered here is a wonderful bronze jardinere or urn. Has a sculptural hermaphrodite handle, that starts with a cherub holding a goose, then with the...Category
Vintage 1930s Unknown Classical Greek Urns
MaterialsBronze
- Warren McArthur Art Deco Aluminum Armchair, 1930sBy Warren McArthurLocated in San Francisco, CAA rare mid-1930s Art Deco aluminum armchair by important American designer Warren McArthur. Displays McArthur’s signature Streamline Moderne-meets-...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Aluminum
- Pair of 1930s Italian Neoclassical Parcel-Gilt Candleholder Table LampsLocated in San Francisco, CAA pair of 1930s Italian neoclassical-style parcel-gilt plaster and wood candleholder table lamps. Stately architectural form of stylized urn body with a trio of candleholders on a s...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
MaterialsGold Leaf
- Syrian-Style Exceptionally Intricate Wood Marquetry Folding Card Table, 1930sLocated in San Francisco, CAA very uncommon, exceptionally intricate, and visually transfixing 1930s Syrian or Syrian-style wood marquetry folding card table. Top and sides feature an incredibly complex and ve...Category
Vintage 1930s Syrian Moorish Card Tables and Tea Tables
MaterialsMetal
$1,610 Sale Price30% Off
- Art Deco Streamline Moderne Metal Desk in the Style of Norman Bel Geddes, 1930'sBy Norman Bel GeddesLocated in Bedford Hills, NYVery cool Art Deco metal desk very similar to the designs Norman Bel Geddes created for Simmons Furniture in the 1930s. All original with wear consiste...Category
Vintage 1930s American Streamlined Moderne Desks
MaterialsMetal
- Art Moderne Desk by Jean Desnos for Rambaudi-Dantoine, France, 1930sBy Jean DesnosLocated in Los Angeles, CAA vintage 1930s art moderne style bookcase with attached desk by Jean Desnos for Rambaudi-Dantoine, made in France in the 1930s. Made of cerused oak- this ...Category
Vintage 1930s French Streamlined Moderne Desks
MaterialsNickel
$5,600 Sale Price43% Off - T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Kneehole Desk for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Hanover, MAAmerican Classical modern kneehole desk designed by Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb Furniture Co. in figured walnut with contrasting maple moldings. Original label in center drawer. ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsMaple, Walnut
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb Furniture Co. Walnut Semi-Oval Top DeskBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in New York, NYAmerican Mid-Century walnut desk with a top squared on the left over a set of four drawers in graduated heights with wooden bar drawer pulls, and rounded on the right, supported by a tapered dowel leg. (T.H. ROBSJOHN-GIBBINGS FOR WIDDICOMB FURNITURE CO...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- Vintage Midcentury Desk by WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Pasadena, TXWiddicomb Vintage midcentury desk by Widdicomb Oak with caramel Naugahyde top. The finished back allows for flexible placement in room. ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsOak
- Remarkable Art Deco French Streamline Executive Desk C. 1930’sLocated in Bernville, PARemarkable French Art Deco Streamline executive desk. Simple chrome accents on the base complements the elegant design. The asymmetric design features a drawer bank with a file drawe...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Desks
MaterialsChrome