Museum Collections
Luce Center
"Skyscraper" hand mirror
Object name
"Skyscraper" hand mirror
Date
ca. 1928
Medium
Silver-plated nickel, glass
Dimensions
Overall: 8 1/2 in. ( 21.6 cm )
Description
Silver-plated nickel hand mirror with beveled mirror and stepped upper border; reverse side with faceting suggesting skyscrapers.
Credit Line
Purchase
Object Number
2006.10
Marks
stamped: "APOLLO STUDIOS, NEW YORK EPNS" within a rectangle and "SKYSCRAPER, REG. U.S. PAT. OFF."
Gallery Label
The stepped-back skyscraper became a symbol of the modern American aesthetic, drawing both critical acclaim and disdain in the late 1920s and 1930s. The skyscraper motif was adopted for furniture, cocktail accessories, and other elements of interior design by leading modern designers such as Paul Frankl, Kem Weber, and Norman Bel Geddes. Bernard Rice's Sons Inc., with workrooms in Brooklyn and showrooms at 325 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, introduced its Apollo line in 1928, proclaiming: "The sky-scraper is the inspiration of modernism." In addition to dresser sets, the Apollo line included tea and coffee wares and accessories for cocktails, such as a beverage shaker and ice pail.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.





