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.
Art Deco Chrome Pancake Corn Set Blue Tray by Russel Wright for Chase
By Russel Wright, Chase and Co.
Located in New York, NY
Designed by the iconic American industrial designer Russel Wright for Chase, this Art Deco pancake corn set epitomizes the streamlined and functional aesthetic of the 1930s. The set ...
Chrome
$6,475
H 10 in W 10.5 in D 9.5 in
Alan Adler Sterling Silver & Walnut Modernist Hand Wrought Serving Coffee Set
Located in New York, NY
This elegant sterling silver and walnut coffee set was realized by the legendary designer Allan Adler in the United States circa 1950. The set features a coffee pot, sugar bowl and spoon, and creamer. Created in sterling silver, this set showcases Allan Adler's signature aesthetic- a kind of traditional modernism applying a pared down minimalist perspective to classical design elements. Here the silhouettes of the pieces look traditional but feature idiosyncratic details that clearly indicate their modernism- as fresh looking today as when it was made. The hand rubbed walnut handles are hewn in an amorphic shape that flares asymmetrically at its end. It is inescapably a modern form. It is pared, however, with historical language (from Art Nouveau for instance) that roots the pieces in a more traditionalist place. They feature stylized vine motifs on the finial of the coffee pot top and leaf motifs that trace the circular bases. The protuberant bodies created in lustrous sterling salver taper at each end. This is an outstanding example of Adler's practice that represents his inimitable aesthetic at its very best. It is sure to delight collectors of his work, as well as those with a penchant for beautifully crafted and special objects. It is signed "Adler Sterling" on the base and is in excellent vintage condition. Adler began his career as an apprentice in 1938, designing silverware and inspired by the design of the early 1900s specifically Art Nouveau. His name became associated with Hollywood glamour in the early 1940s. he was commissioned to design mini-Oscars for Academy Award winners, crowns for Miss Universe and Miss USA, and silver bowls and candlesticks for celebrities and dignitaries. During John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, Adler was commissioned to create a silver coffee urn...
Sterling Silver
Art Deco Chrome and Glass Serving Piece by Chase
By Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare 1930s Art Deco serving piece that could be used as a cream and sugar or salt and pepper set that is made of chrome and frosted glass. The set includes the lidded double server on stand, a plate rest, and a pair of glass spoons...
Chrome
$850 / set
H 7.75 in W 7.75 in D 6.25 in
Chase Three Piece Comet Tea Service Set with Bakelite Accents
By Walter Von Nessen, Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Three-piece spherical tea set by Walter von Nessen for Chase, USA, c.1940s. The set includes an electric tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl with bone colored Bakelite handles. The chrom...
Stainless Steel, Chrome
French Art Deco Silver Plated Tea Service 3 Pieces
Located in Miami, FL
Very good quality 3-piece Art Deco silver plated teapot, sugar bowl and creamer in the style of sets by Gallia, Christofle. Each piece is...
Silver Plate
$10,160 / set
H 9.85 in W 19.69 in D 15.16 in
Art Déco Silver 5-Piece Coffee & Tea Set with Tray, Around 1920
Located in Vienna, AT
Elegant 5-piece silver centerpiece consisting of a coffee pot, teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl and a tray. Bulbous, raised vessels, narrowing again towards the opening, with a vertical...
Silver
$14,950 / set
H 2 in W 12 in D 20 in
1940s Mexican Sterling Silver Coffee Tea Service Set w Tray, Mexican Silversmith
By William Spratling
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A striking and highly collectible 1940s Mexican sterling silver coffee and tea service set, masterfully crafted in Mexico during the golden era of the Taxco silversmithing movement. ...
Sterling Silver, Brass, Copper
$3,503 / set
H 6.89 in Dm 7.49 in
Four-Piece Art Deco Silver Plate Tea and Coffee Service by Walker & Hall
By Walker & Hall
Located in Torino, IT
Four-piece silver plate tea and coffee service, stepped Art Deco bases and lids, with wood handles, comprising a coffee pot, tea pot, sugar and creamer by Walker and Hall Sheffield...
Silver Plate
$25,000
H 9.2 in W 18.5 in D 15 in
Large Mexican Modern Sterling Silver Coffee Tea Serving Set William Spratling
By William Spratling
Located in Atlanta, GA
A large six-piece sterling silver service for coffee and tea that consists of a gallery tray, a coffee pot, a tea pot, a hot milk or chocolate pot, a sugar and a milk jar. This stunn...
Sterling Silver
$10,855 / set
H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Art Deco Sterling Silver Tea Set by Barker Brothers, 1939-1946
By Barker Brothers Silver Ltd.
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in Birmingham between 1939 and 1946 by Barker Brothers Ltd. this architectural George VI sterling silver five-piece tea set is of a fine Art Deco design. The pieces have a...
Sterling Silver
