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Art Deco Signed Wolfgang Hoffmann for Romweber World's Fair Display Cabinet
About the Item
A rare and important Art Deco period Century of Progress Display Cabinet designed by Wolfgang Hoffmann (Austrian, 1900-1969) for Romweber Company, Batesville, Indiana, United States of America. circa 1933-1936
Created for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, one piece design, having a rectangular showcase top with glass panel sides and a pair of sliding glass doors, over solid wood chest fitted with four drawers affixed with horizontal pulls, flanked by cabinet doors, opening to shelved interior. Rosewood, mahogany, richly figured blonde - golden birch or primavera, and glass.
Signed, original label to drawer interior, featuring 1933 World's Fair mark impressed.
**Please note, at the time of writing this, a matching sideboard - buffet (shown in last photo) is currently available separately**
Provenance / Acquisition:
Property from the important and iconic collection of Mr. James I. Rafftesaeth Jr., Dallas, Texas
Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas. 2022 Design Signature Auction catalog #8091
History:
Wolfgang Hoffmann was born in Vienna, Austria in 1900. He is the son of famous architect, pedagogue and Wiener Werkstatte cofounder, Joseph Hoffmann (1870-1956). Early on, following his father’s s interests, he was trained in the decorative arts and design. Wolfgang Hoffmann once reminisced, “I spent eight years at the Realschule, then three years went to a special architectural school, where I perfected my technical knowledge of architecture and general construction. From this school, I was graduated to the Kunstgewerbeschule [Studying under Oskar Strnad and Josef Frank in Vienna]. After finishing this school, I had one and a half years of practical in a well known architect’s office. Thereafter I worked in my Father’s office for two years”.
Hoffmann met his future wife, Polish immigrant Pola (1902-1984) when they were both studying at the Kunstgewerbeschule. Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was needing an assistant for his architectural business in New York and contacted his friend and colleague, Joseph Hoffmann in Vienna. Hoffmann recommended his son Wolfgang. Urban hired him and sent a first class passage ticket to Vienna for Wolfgang to travel to New York. Wolfgang married Pola and traded his ticket for two tickets to America in steerage, arriving in New York City in December of 1925.
Leaving the Urban office after nine months, Wolfgang and Pola formed an independent design practice with offices on Madison Avenue in Manhattan with the purpose of creating contemporary interiors and industrial designs. Early work included theaters, stores, and apartments mostly in New York City.
During the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the Hoffmanns designed custom furniture for private clients. Some of these examples were shown in the February 1929 issue of House and Garden. Curiously, the examples’ design was attributed to Urban and the production to Pola Hoffmann, Inc.
Established in the fall of 1928, the American Designers’ Gallery was “devoted exclusively to showing objects and interiors for practical use… by fourteen American architects and designers”. Its members included the Hoffmans and Urban as well as ceramist Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1971), architect Raymond Hood (1881-1934), artist designer Winold Reiss (1886-1953), graphic designer Lucien Bernhard (1896-1981), decorator Donald Deskey (1894-1989), and architect Ely Jacques Kahn (1884-1972).
The Hoffmanns’ work was included in the American Designers’ Gallery’s two showcase events, its 1928 and 1929 exhibitions. Their dining alcove at the 1929 event featured a bench with a dinette table and two chairs in American walnut designed by Wolfgang and a rug by Pola.
Lucien Bernhard, fellow Austrian immigrant who settled in New York a year before the Hoffmanns, operated the gallery and decorating service Contempora with Munich resident Bruno Paul (1874-1968). The Hoffmanns, occasionally participating with Contempora, designed a number of outstanding interiors, including the constructivist living room of 1930 for Mrs. O.R. Sommerich at 40 East 66th street. In 1934, Donald Deskey commissioned Wolfgang to design birchwood furnishings for the eclectic apartment at 625 Park Avenue belonging to Helena Rubinstein.
In 1931, Wolfgang exhibited his work at the Pennsylvania Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The same year, with Kem Weber (1889-1963) he organized the second and final exhibition of AUDAC- “Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts”- at the Brooklyn Museum. At this event, the Hoffmanns showed the dining room previously included in the American Designer’s Gallery’s 1929 exhibition in the Chase Bank Building lobby at 145 West 57th Street in Manhattan.
In 1932 Wolfgang was asked to assist Urban in developing the color scheme for the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair “A Century of Progress”. He was also commissioned to design the interior and furniture for the fair’s lumber industries house. There he executed its living and dining rooms furnished by Kroehler Manufacturing Company of Chicago; the boys’ room by Shower Brothers of Bloomington, IN; the master bedroom by Tennessee Furniture Corporation; tables and a desk in the living room by Wabash Cabinet Company of Wabash, IN; with the bridge game furniture in the living room by Wisconsin Chair Company of Sheboygan, Wolfgang Hoffmann may have participated in other sections of the fair, since there is evidence of a Birch and Walnut cabinet manufactured by the Batesville Cabinet & American Furniture Company with Hoffmann’s name and the 1933 Fair’s trademark label in its drawer.
The Chicago exposition brought Hoffmann to the attention of the Howell Company, whose headquarters were in nearby Geneva, Illinois (later moved to St. Charles, Illinois). Hired by Howell, he was its resident designer from 1934 to 1942, offering a vast number of designs for chromed steel furniture.
Howell’s 1938 sales catalogue boasts, under a picture of its designer: “Mr. Wolfgang Hoffmann, internationally recognized as an authority in the development of authentic modern furniture, designs for Howell… and for Howell exclusively. The breadth of his experience and the flexibility of his creative genius are reflected in the complete Howell Chromsteel furniture line presented in the catalogue”. His designs for the firm combined either tubular or flat chromium plated steel with vinyl, leather, linoleum, glass, wood, and Bakelite resulting in a large number of chairs, desks, tables, and case goods; both for commercial and residential applications.
Becoming busy with Howell as his major client, Hoffmann moved to Chicago to closely supervise the production of his designs. Even though they were distinctly Modern, he shunned Streamline design, commenting, “[The style] has been employed only in aircraft design and it has nothing to do with the clean cut architecture of either a tubular chair or a table”. Of course, its exclusive use in the aircraft industry was not the case and in retrospect we see Hoffmann’s prejudice, a stance held by numerous designers at the time.
In the 1930’s the Hoffmanns divorced and dissolved their business partnership. Pola married the noted mystery writer Rex Stout and settled in a Modern house in Danbury, Connecticut. When the Howell Company converted to wartime production in the early 1940’s, Wolfgang left and became active as a professional photographer in Chicago until his death in 1969.
Dimensions: (approx)
66.75" High, 47.5" Wide, 19.5" Deep
Condition Report:
In overall great condition, with losses and damage to left side of wooden pull of bottom drawer. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Creator:Wolfgang Hoffmann (Designer),Romweber Furniture Co. (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 66.75 in (169.55 cm)Width: 47.5 in (120.65 cm)Depth: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1933-1936
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In overall great condition, with losses and damage to left side of wooden pull of bottom drawer. Wear consistent with age and use. Delivered cleaned, waxed, ready for immediate use and generational enjoyment!
- Seller Location:Forney, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5977234499292
Romweber Furniture Co.
Some vintage Romweber Furniture Company designs may strike the young as passé. But for fans of a certain age, the American brand never went out of style.
The Romweber story began in the late 1800s, with the launch of American Furniture Company, which made bedroom furniture, Batesville Cabinet Company, a dining-room-set manufacturer, and Batesville Coffin Company. The three companies eventually merged to become a large and reputable manufacturer of case goods, furniture and more.
Not unlike many American companies, production at Romweber suffered during the Great Depression. The brand managed to stay afloat by making a rather strange pivot — to selling five-pound fruitcake boxes. During the Second World War, Romweber pivoted again, this time to the production of ammunition boxes and pontoons for American troops and, naturally, furniture for officers’ quarters.
While Romweber furniture (spelled “RomWeber” in vintage advertisements), dating back to the early 20th century, had designers working in the French Rococo and Chippendale styles, the brand is best known for its mid-century modern pieces. In the postwar years, Romweber manufactured walnut case pieces and storage cabinets that featured decorative olive-ash and burl-wood inlays with brass hardware as well as solid oak credenzas and dining tables designed by the likes of Harold Schwartz. For collectors of sophisticated 1950s furniture, the company’s sturdy Viking Oak line is particularly popular.
“It’s not uncommon for customers to say, ‘My parents had this Romweber Viking set,’” says Adam Cramer of collectors who visit Liberty & 33rd, the gallery he owns with his wife in South Bend, Indiana, about three hours north of Romweber’s birthplace in small-town Batesville. “It’s solid oak,” Cramer tells 1stDibs of the line of tables, chairs, desks and more.
Solid oak is the product of slow-growing deciduous trees. Solid oak furniture is durable, desirable and an investment that is usually associated with a hefty price. In solid oak furnishings, such as those that make up the covetable Romweber Viking Oak line, which launched in 1935, there aren’t any scraps of other components in the construction.
Inspired by Scandinavian folk design, Romweber’s Viking Oak is said to have enjoyed one of the longest runs for a commercial furniture line in history. The collection went out of production in the late 1980s, and mid-century editions remain highly prized for their exceptional quality and hand-carved details.
Find vintage Romweber furniture on 1stDibs.
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View AllArt Deco Wolfgang Hoffmann Romweber World's Fair Century of Progress Sideboard
By Romweber Furniture Co., Wolfgang Hoffmann
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and important American Art Deco Century of Progress Sideboard by iconic designer Wolfgang Hoffmann (Austrian, 1900-1969) for Romweber Company, Batesville, Indiana. circa 1933-1936
Created for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, fine quality craftsmanship and construction, having a rectangular exotic rosewood veneered top over conforming solid wood case fitted with four drawers affixed with horizontal pulls, the top drawer opening to reveal felt lined divided interior for silverware, flanked by cabinet doors opening to shelved interior, subtle geometric lines add interest. Rosewood, mahogany, richly figured blonde - golden birch or primavera.
Signed, top drawer interior, featuring 1933 World's Fair mark impressed.
**Please note, at the time of writing this, a matching display case - vitrine cabinet (shown in last photo) is currently available separately**
Provenance / Acquisition:
Property from the important and iconic Collection of Mr. James I. Rafftesaeth Jr., Dallas, Texas
Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas. 2022 Design Signature Auction catalog #8091
History:
Wolfgang Hoffmann was born in Vienna, Austria in 1900. He is the son of famous architect, pedagogue and Wiener Werkstatte cofounder, Joseph Hoffmann (1870-1956). Early on, following his father’s s interests, he was trained in the decorative arts and design. Wolfgang Hoffmann once reminisced, “I spent eight years at the Realschule, then three years went to a special architectural school, where I perfected my technical knowledge of architecture and general construction. From this school, I was graduated to the Kunstgewerbeschule [Studying under Oskar Strnad and Josef Frank in Vienna]. After finishing this school, I had one and a half years of practical in a well known architect’s office. Thereafter I worked in my Father’s office for two years”.
Hoffmann met his future wife, Polish immigrant Pola (1902-1984) when they were both studying at the Kunstgewerbeschule. Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was needing an assistant for his architectural business in New York and contacted his friend and colleague, Joseph Hoffmann in Vienna. Hoffmann recommended his son Wolfgang. Urban hired him and sent a first class passage ticket to Vienna for Wolfgang to travel to New York. Wolfgang married Pola and traded his ticket for two tickets to America in steerage, arriving in New York City in December of 1925.
Leaving the Urban office after nine months, Wolfgang and Pola formed an independent design practice with offices on Madison Avenue in Manhattan with the purpose of creating contemporary interiors and industrial designs. Early work included theaters, stores, and apartments mostly in New York City.
During the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the Hoffmanns designed custom furniture for private clients. Some of these examples were shown in the February 1929 issue of House and Garden. Curiously, the examples’ design was attributed to Urban and the production to Pola Hoffmann, Inc.
Established in the fall of 1928, the American Designers’ Gallery was “devoted exclusively to showing objects and interiors for practical use… by fourteen American architects and designers”. Its members included the Hoffmans and Urban as well as ceramist Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1971), architect Raymond Hood (1881-1934), artist designer Winold Reiss (1886-1953), graphic designer Lucien Bernhard (1896-1981), decorator Donald Deskey (1894-1989), and architect Ely Jacques Kahn (1884-1972).
The Hoffmanns’ work was included in the American Designers’ Gallery’s two showcase events, its 1928 and 1929 exhibitions. Their dining alcove at the 1929 event featured a bench with a dinette table and two chairs in American walnut designed by Wolfgang and a rug by Pola.
Lucien Bernhard, fellow Austrian immigrant who settled in New York a year before the Hoffmanns, operated the gallery and decorating service Contempora with Munich resident Bruno Paul (1874-1968). The Hoffmanns, occasionally participating with Contempora, designed a number of outstanding interiors, including the constructivist living room of 1930 for Mrs. O.R. Sommerich at 40 East 66th street. In 1934, Donald Deskey commissioned Wolfgang to design birchwood furnishings for the eclectic apartment at 625 Park Avenue belonging to Helena Rubinstein.
In 1931, Wolfgang exhibited his work at the Pennsylvania Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The same year, with Kem Weber (1889-1963) he organized the second and final exhibition of AUDAC- “Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts”- at the Brooklyn Museum. At this event, the Hoffmanns showed the dining room previously included in the American Designer’s Gallery’s 1929 exhibition in the Chase Bank Building lobby at 145 West 57th Street in Manhattan.
In 1932 Wolfgang was asked to assist Urban in developing the color scheme for the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair “A Century of Progress”. He was also commissioned to design the interior and furniture for the fair’s lumber industries house. There he executed its living and dining rooms furnished by Kroehler Manufacturing Company of Chicago; the boys’ room by Shower Brothers...
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