Don Shoemaker "Elephant" Salt and Pepper
About the Item
- Creator:Don S. Shoemaker (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)Width: 4 in (10.16 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Cocobolo
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970s
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Good overall condition with minor wear consistent with age and use. The wood had been cleaned and polished.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU828522555362
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 cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to delve into furniture design. In the late 1950s, he started a small factory, producing hand-carved desks, 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 in 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.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Barware
Cocobolo
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Marble
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Organic Modern Tableware
Horn
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Teak
Antique 18th Century European Tableware
Silver
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Paper
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Birch
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Paper
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Vintage 1930s American Machine Age Books
Paper
