Interwar Culture

Whether you are looking into the Roaring 20s, Prohibition, the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, or the Machine Age there are countless developments that fostered the unique culture of the1920s and 30s.

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Over forty years ago, Manhattan physician Robert Lerch purchased a red and black Bakelite clasp bracelet with a geometric Art Deco design. That was the beginning of a Bakelite collection that has grown to approximately 2,000 pieces of jewelry as well as 3,000 other objects, such as radios, buttons, clocks, boxes, umbrella handles, and knives. Read More. .

Design elements of Art Deco architecture and decorative arts include everything from the luxurious Egyptian motifs of King Tut’s tomb––the discovery in 1922 stirred the world’s imagination––to the futuristic art movements of Fauvism, Cubism, Bauhaus, and others. Read More. .

Art Deco can be found in India and it’s entryway was through Bombay. In this article Nityaa Lakshmi Lyer and Atul Kumar explore the origins of Art Deco in Mumbai and a new World Heritage site. Read More. .

In this article, Anthony W. Robins discuses the Marine Air Terminal in New York and examine Harry Allen Jacobs contributions to its architectural design. Read More. .

Have you ever though about reinventing the past? In this article, Jack Rennert & David A. Schneider explore the ways in which travel posters focused age-old subjects and portrayed then in a new light. In addition, they also explore the relationship between travel posters and travel for leisure. Read More. .

With the launching of this new Modern era came talent in many fields such as literature, music, performing arts, design, architecture, and so much more. This article explores how the 1920s were all about youth and jazz, hedonism, and optimism while the 1930s were marked by the harsh reality of the Great Depression. Read More. .

In this unique article, Anthony W. Robins interviews the architect and remembers the wonderful Art Deco architecture and design of New York's old Horn & Hardart Automats with great affection. Read More. .

This article explores the origins of The Texas Centennial Exposition and its contributions to architecture. Read More. .

Margaret Denny discusses female photographers in American during the 1920s. Denny displays the impact Berenice Abbott, Thérèse Bonney, Dorothea Lange, and Margaret Bourke-White had on American culture and the field of photography. Read More. .

In this article, Maddy Lederman explores prohibition and the fascination with cocktails throughout the 1920s. Read More.

Rebecca McNamara explores how Deco was all in the details: sunbursts on iron gates; gold-leaf ceilings; Bakelite radios; stylized, geometric designs affecting nearly everything from posters to furnishings; but specifically a diminutive object held casually in the hand as smoke wafted in the air. Read More. .

It is commonly believed that architects and designers are influenced by and reflect the culture of the period in which they work. To better understand the cultural influences on designers of the Art Deco period, this timeline offers a listing of some events that may have inspired them. Read More.

In this article, Robin Grow explores the advent of modernism in Israel and its architectural designs. Read More.

In this article, Robert Salamone discusses the American decorative objects created by the design studio of Frankart Incorporated. Read More.

In this article, Leonard Fox with the assistance of Adrianne Cochran, explore illustrated books as an art form within the Art Deco era. Read More.

Sarah D. Coffin and Emily M. Orr explore how, in the 1920s, boundaries between the industrial and the domestic––as well as the urban exterior and the private interior––were shifting and even dissolving, therefore vastly influencing the realm of design. Read More.

In this article, Glenn Loney discusses the motivations behind the golden gate international Exposition. Additionally, Loney explores that multitude of cultures present throughout the exposition. Read More.

In this article, Irene Moore explores the development of the fragrance industry thought the Art Deco era. Additionally, Moore displays the various designs for perfume bottles throughout the Art Deco period. Read More.

Want to learn more? The Art Deco Society of New York has been compiling a listing of books and materials that focus on Art Deco architecture, design, and the culture of the 1920s and 30s. The list is by no means complete but there are wonderful materials for you to enjoy. Read More.

Howard Mandelbaum & Eric Myers explore how the most lavish New York nightclubs of the 1920s and 30s became glamorous settings for the Hollywood dream factory's larger-than-life films. Read More. .

Jessica Adams and Jack Rennert discuss the role posters played in the changing image of women place in society. Read More.

Enjoy this riveting interview between ADSNYs president Roberta Nudism and Marisa de Lempicka as they discuss her great-grandmother, acclaimed painter Tamara de Lempicka. Read More.

This article explores the 1939 New York Worlds Fair and in particular discuses the ironies of “The World of Tomorrow.” Read More.

This article, Julia Davis discusses the evolution of dance through the Art Deco era. You will take a step back in time with the array of images and videos through this fascinating essay. Read More.

In this article, Emily Arbuckle discusses the development, triumph and evolution of women fashion within the 20th century. Read More.

In this article, Robin Grow explores the rise of women'sInfluence and participation in architecture. Grow sheds light on women’s unnoticed contributions to architecture throughout the Art Deco period. Read More.

In this article, Tammi Lawson discusses how Harlem became a safe haven and a place to create a community for Black culture during the early twentieth century. Read More.

In this article, Kathleen Murphy Skolnik discusses the hidden contributions women had on Art Deco design. Read More.