T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings Desk for Widdicomb
View Similar Items
T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings Desk for Widdicomb
About the Item
- Creator:John Widdicomb (Manufacturer),T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Width: 48 in (121.92 cm)Depth: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Newly Refinished.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU97119775141
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
British-born designer, interior decorator and author T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905–76) was one of the great American tastemakers in the middle decades of the 20th century. Much like Edward Wormley, Robsjohn-Gibbings was a design classicist by education and inclination, but he would come to create some of the most gracious and livable modern furnishings of the era.
Robsjohn-Gibbings studied architecture at the University of London, then held various jobs that included designing décors for passenger liners and working as the art director of a film studio. In the early 1930s, while employed by the upper-crust interior designer Charles J. Duveen, Robsjohn-Gibbings experienced an epiphany during a visit to the British Museum. Examining the furniture depicted on ancient Greek ceramics — lithe stools and klismos chairs — he realized that he had found a design touchstone. By 1936, he had moved to New York and set up a showroom on Madison Avenue for his modern reinterpretations of classic Greek designs. Aided by contacts he’d developed while working with Duveen, he quickly established a clientele that included Elizabeth Arden, Doris Duke and Thelma Chrysler Foy.
Through his writings for magazines and books, Robsjohn-Gibbings earned a public following and was established as an urbane arbiter of taste. From 1943 to 1956, he produced an understated line of modernist furnishings for Widdicomb, which included one of the icons of the period: the tiered, biomorphic Mesa coffee table (1951). Robsjohn-Gibbings moved to Athens, Greece, in 1966, and created a new line of antiquity-inspired pieces for the firm Saridis. The series turned out to be his swan song.
Collectors’ interest in Robsjohn-Gibbings was reignited in the 1980s, when the 200-plus pieces from his 1936–38 commission for the Bel-Air estate of Los Angeles socialite Hilda Boldt Weber — pared-down neoclassical pieces rendered in blond wood (with the occasional flourish) — came on the market. (Up until then, the collection had remained in the house, despite its having changed hands several times.)
But his work for Widdicomb remains his most widely known, appreciated for its elegance and generous proportions. Robsjohn-Gibbings despised the stern aesthetic associated with his Bauhaus contemporaries, and a keynote of his modernist pieces is that they have no sharp angles. His chair and sofa frames, table legs and even many cabinets feature softly contoured edges. In whatever styled he designed, Robsjohn-Gibbings was guided by simplicity and timelessness. He wanted his furniture to be lived with happily.
John Widdicomb
In the Widdicomb family, furniture ran in the blood. 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, Michigan. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. 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. Admirers of mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize Widdicomb for the partnerships with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. 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.
Today, Stickley continues to produce John Widdicomb Company furniture, including French, Italian, English and Russian reproductions, as well as modern works from the first half of the 20th century.
Find vintage John Widdicomb bedroom furniture, tables, case pieces and more on 1stDibs.
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Leather Lounge Chairs for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Los Angeles, CAElegant modern lounge chairs designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings in collaboration with the famous Widdicomb Furniture company in the United States during the 1950s. These midcentury ergonomic lounge chairs...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Foam, Wood, Walnut
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Brass Accent Lounge Chair for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Los Angeles, CAT.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings brass accent lounge chair for Widdicomb. ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern fu...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Leather and Ebonized Wood Slipper Chairs for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.Located in Los Angeles, CAT.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings leather and ebonized wood slipper lounge chairs for Widdicomb. Introducing the T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Leather & Ebonized Wood Slipper Lounge Chairs for Widdic...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Foam, Wood
- Merton L. Gershun Walnut Writing Desk for American of MartinsvilleBy American of Martinsville, Merton GershunLocated in Los Angeles, CAMerton L. Gershun walnut writing desk for American of Martinsville. ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing h...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsBrass
- Expertly Restored - Danish Modern Executive Teak Desk for H.P. HansenBy H.P. HansenLocated in Los Angeles, CATransforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precision. With over 17 years of artisanal exper...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsSteel
- Expertly Restored - Børge Mogensen Teak & Oak Executive Desk for Søborg MøblerBy Børge Mogensen, Søborg Møbler 1Located in Los Angeles, CATransforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precision. With over 17 years of artisanal exper...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsWood, Oak, Teak
- T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Kneehole Desk for WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated 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
- Curvaceous Desk by T.H. Robsjohn GibbingsBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Atlanta, GACurvaceous desk, designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb, American, circa 1950s. This desk is currently being refinished and can be completed in your choice of finish color.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Sideboard for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in St. Louis, MOThree-drawer sideboard with wood dowel handles, cabinet on the right side, designed by Gibbing for Widdicomb, walnut, currently being refinished.Category
Vintage 1950s American Sideboards
MaterialsWalnut
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Tall Dresser for WiddicombBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Brooklyn, NYBeautifully detailed and functional dresser cabinet with ample storage and unique pull out workspace. By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb.. Please confirm item location (NY or NJ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb Style ChestBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in St. Louis, MOWiddicomb chest with Parsons base, original Widdicomb piece refurbished / restored with some new components. Lacquered in a white snowflake finish with dark brown base. Interior shel...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood