American Modern Conant Ball
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Maple
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Wall Mirrors
Glass, Maple
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Wood
Vintage 1930s Bookcases
Maple
20th Century American Wall Mirrors
Wood
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Maple
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Maple
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Maple
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century American Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Maple
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Corner Chairs
Cane, Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Birch
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Birch
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch, Lacquer
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking...
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Night Stands
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Maple, Leather
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Wood, Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Teak
Vintage 1930s American Streamlined Moderne Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Maple
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Night Stands
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Faux Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Birch, Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Maple
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Birch
Mid-20th Century American Streamlined Moderne Dressers
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Maple
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Side Tables
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking...
Maple
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Armchairs
Maple, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century American Desks
Maple
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Dressers
Maple
People Also Browsed
2010s Danish Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Neoclassical Benches
Iron
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary North American Minimalist Shelves and Wall...
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Table Lamps
Iron
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Night Stands
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers an...
Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Brutalist Night Stands
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Minimalist Side Tables
Marble, Travertine
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Walnut
2010s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Stools
Hardwood
American Modern Conant Ball For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is an American Modern Conant Ball?
Russel Wright for sale on 1stDibs
While industrial designer Russell Wright may be known to modern furniture enthusiasts for his streamlined end tables, dining chairs and other pieces, he is universally revered for a line of tableware he created called American Modern. Efficient, practical, and striking in their elegant forms and warm colors, the American Modern ceramic pieces, which included bowls, pitchers, dishes, and other items, became the best-selling dinnerware of all time. Today, vintage Russell Wright American Modern tableware is an evergreen favorite of art collectors and interior designers alike.
Born in 1904 in Ohio, Wright was surrounded by inspiration for the furniture he would one day design. He was raised in a Quaker household and grew up with the spare, meticulously handcrafted furniture for which the Quakers are known. As a young man, he studied art and sculpture at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the Art Students League of New York, going on to study law at Princeton University in New Jersey. But Wright loved the arts and abandoned his pursuit of a law degree to create stage sets in Princeton and Paris alongside fellow noted designer Norman Bel Geddes.
In 1927, Wright married artist and sculptor Mary Einstein. Together, they moved to New York City, where Wright began to create sculptures. Mary convinced him to create metal bookends from his sculptures, and later, when he began to craft bar accessories from chrome, he turned to aluminum, a much cheaper material for the purposes of mass production (his barware was eventually included in the "Machine Art" show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1934, which was curated by Philip Johnson).
Mary worked on marketing Russell's products, successfully proposing everyday uses for Wright's beautifully designed housewares. She is said to have been a pioneer in the world of lifestyle marketing, coining the terms "American Modern" and "blonde" to describe the charming, light-colored maple furniture he created for Conant Ball, which was known at the time for its reproductions of American Colonial furniture.
While Wright had created some Art Deco furnishings for Heywood-Wakefield, it was this group of bedroom furniture for Conant Ball that got its name, American Modern, from Mary. Under her guidance, Wright's attractive, functional designs for the home gained renown, leading to commissions by prestigious companies like the Steubenville Pottery Company.
In 1935, Wright formed Russell Wright Associates with Irving Richards, an entrepreneur who had worked with Lightolier and would later establish Raymor. In collaboration with Richards, Wright debuted the first line of American Modern dinnerware in 1939, which was initially produced by Russell Wright Associates and then manufactured by Steubenville for two decades. The line sold over 200 million pieces during its 20 years of production. In 1955, Wright was selected by the U.S. State Department to research handicraft industries in Southeast Asia, a trip that influenced his later designs.
Throughout his life, Wright continued to design furniture and housewares, with the works' signature earth tones, curved forms, and clean silhouettes of his floor lamps, lounge chairs, and serveware remaining popular staples in American households. In his later years, he focused on designing and building his home, Manitoga, and working with the National Parks Service to develop the "Summer in the Parks" program.
Upon Wright's death in 1974, Manitoga was given to the Nature Conservancy. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and today houses the Russell & Mary Wright Design Gallery, where many of Wright's works stand on permanent display. In 2011, stamps from the U.S. Postal Service featured Wright's image as one of the United States' twelve most influential industrial designers.
Find vintage Russel Wright lighting, seating, tables, serveware, ceramics and glass on 1stDibs.