GENERAL DESCRIPTION
These front doors were one of the most significant features of the 1907 Robert R. Blacker House in Pasadena, California. They consist of three large leaded-glass panels depicting plant vines set against richly hued, swirling glass - all suggesting the lush garden and pond landscaping the Greene brothers designated for the grounds surrounding the house.
The architects Greene and Greene were preeminent among the West Coast architects whose work is part of the early 20th century Arts and Crafts movement. Of all their buildings, the Blacker House was one of the most important. Over 12,000 square feet in size, it was the first and largest of a series of "ultimate bungalows" dating between 1907 and 1909. The Blacker estate consisted of a main house, garage, gardener's cottage, greenhouse, and garden pergola. Its sophisticated timber structure and subtle naturalistic details throughout marked it and the Greenes' other houses of the period as being in the "Japanese Style," according to contemporary critics.
Excerpt from
Kevin W. Tucker, DMA unpublished material, Label text, 2008.
NOTES
- Samantha added the following as a TMS Text Entry: Carl Wuellner, "The Blacker House Doors," in Dallas Museum of Art, 100 Years , ed. Dorothy M. Kosinski (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 2003), pamphlet 75.
- Samantha updated the Provenance, Exhibition History, Bibliography, and Published References.
- HAB, updated formatting for all related CC (but some are still incomplete) 4/18/17
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
1908-1946: Robert Roe (1845–1931) and Nellie Celeste Canfield Blacker (d. 1946), Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California [1]
Late 1940s-about 1985: Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Otto Bockelman, Pasadena, California, by purchase of Robert R. Blacker House and its contents [1]
About 1950-1985: Max and Marjorie Hill, Pasadena, California, by purchase of the Robert R. Blacker House and its contents [1]
1985-1994: Mr. & Mrs. Barton C. English, Stonewall, Texas, by purchase of the Robert R. Blacker House and its contents [1], [2]
From 1994: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above.
[1] Owners of the Robert R. Blacker House from 1908 through 1985 listed in auction records of Blacker House contents. See "Greene & Greene Exterior Lantern from the Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California," Sotheby's," accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/20th-century-design-n08920/lot.11.lotnum.html. See also "Greene & Greene An Important and Rare 'Lotus' Lantern from the Living Room of the Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California," Sotheby's, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2010/important-20th-century-design-including-the-charles-m-pratt-desk-and-chair-by-greene-greene-n08680/lot.30.html.
[2] Joseph Giovannini, "Save That Legend! Preservationists to the Rescue," New York Times, October 1, 1998, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/01/garden/design-notebook-save-that-legend-preservationists-to-the-rescue.html.
EXHIBITION HISTORY
1989: "American Art, 1700-1950," Dallas Museum of Art, September 8, 1989-April 8, 1990
2005: "International Arts and Crafts," Victoria & Albert Museum, London, March 17, 2015-July 24, 2005; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, September 27, 2005-January 22, 2006, Fine Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, March 18, 2006-June 18, 2006.
AUDIO ASSETS
44997067: UMO, Curator Kevin Tucker discusses these doors.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- University of Southern California ~ View blueprints and archival photographs of the Robert R. Blacker House in the Green & Green Virtual Archives
- The Gamble House ~ Read a history of the Robert R. Blacker House.
- The Gamble House ~Learn how the Robert R. Blacker house relates to the concept of Gesamkunstwerk or "total work of art."
- LACMA ~ View furniture designed by Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene for the Robert R. Blacker House.
- Toledo Museum of Art ~The front doors were originally accompanied by three transom windows, now in the permanent collection of the Toledo Museum of Art.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
The front doors from the Robert R. Blacker House appear in the of the 1985 film Back to the Future. The Blacker House provided the front doors and interior views of character Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown's home, while another Greene & Greene house - the Gamble House - provided the exterior views.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1994.183.A-C
Category
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General Description
These front doors were one of the most significant features of the 1907 Robert R. Blacker House in Pasadena, California. They consist of three large leaded-glass panels depicting plant vines set against richly hued, swirling glass - all suggesting the lush garden and pond landscaping the Greene brothers designated for the grounds surrounding the house.
The architects Greene and Greene were preeminent among the West Coast architects whose work is part of the early 20th century Arts and Crafts movement. Of all their buildings, the Blacker House was one of the most important. Over 12,000 square feet in size, it was the first and largest of a series of "ultimate bungalows" dating between 1907 and 1909. The Blacker estate consisted of a main house, garage, gardener's cottage, greenhouse, and garden pergola. Its sophisticated timber structure and subtle naturalistic details throughout marked it and the Greenes' other houses of the period as being in the "Japanese Style," according to contemporary critics.
Excerpt from
Kevin W. Tucker, DMA unpublished material, Label text, 2008.
Fun Facts
The front doors from the Robert R. Blacker House appear in the of the 1985 film Back to the Future. The Blacker House provided the front doors and interior views of character Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown's home, while another Greene & Greene house - the Gamble House - provided the exterior views.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- University of Southern California ~ View blueprints and archival photographs of the Robert R. Blacker House in the Green & Green Virtual Archives
- The Gamble House ~ Read a history of the Robert R. Blacker House.
- The Gamble House ~Learn how the Robert R. Blacker house relates to the concept of Gesamkunstwerk or "total work of art."
- LACMA ~ View furniture designed by Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene for the Robert R. Blacker House.
- Toledo Museum of Art ~The front doors were originally accompanied by three transom windows, now in the permanent collection of the Toledo Museum of Art.
Notes
- Samantha added the following as a TMS Text Entry: Carl Wuellner, "The Blacker House Doors," in Dallas Museum of Art, 100 Years , ed. Dorothy M. Kosinski (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 2003), pamphlet 75.
- Samantha updated the Provenance, Exhibition History, Bibliography, and Published References.
- HAB, updated formatting for all related CC (but some are still incomplete) 4/18/17
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
1908-1946: Robert Roe (1845–1931) and Nellie Celeste Canfield Blacker (d. 1946), Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California [1]
Late 1940s-about 1985: Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Otto Bockelman, Pasadena, California, by purchase of Robert R. Blacker House and its contents [1]
About 1950-1985: Max and Marjorie Hill, Pasadena, California, by purchase of the Robert R. Blacker House and its contents [1]
1985-1994: Mr. & Mrs. Barton C. English, Stonewall, Texas, by purchase of the Robert R. Blacker House and its contents [1], [2]
From 1994: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above.
[1] Owners of the Robert R. Blacker House from 1908 through 1985 listed in auction records of Blacker House contents. See "Greene & Greene Exterior Lantern from the Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California," Sotheby's," accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/20th-century-design-n08920/lot.11.lotnum.html. See also "Greene & Greene An Important and Rare 'Lotus' Lantern from the Living Room of the Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California," Sotheby's, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2010/important-20th-century-design-including-the-charles-m-pratt-desk-and-chair-by-greene-greene-n08680/lot.30.html.
[2] Joseph Giovannini, "Save That Legend! Preservationists to the Rescue," New York Times, October 1, 1998, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/01/garden/design-notebook-save-that-legend-preservationists-to-the-rescue.html.
EXHIBITION HISTORY
1989: "American Art, 1700-1950," Dallas Museum of Art, September 8, 1989-April 8, 1990
2005: "International Arts and Crafts," Victoria & Albert Museum, London, March 17, 2015-July 24, 2005; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, September 27, 2005-January 22, 2006, Fine Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, March 18, 2006-June 18, 2006.
AUDIO ASSETS
44997067: UMO, Curator Kevin Tucker discusses these doors.
VIDEO ASSETS
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