GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This towering console of satin chrome and mirrored cobalt glass, standing nearly four feet tall, is a commanding example of the styling of goods to meet the Machine Age aesthetic of the 1930s. One of the most dramatic expressions of the fusion of art and technology, the Nocturne radio was designed by one of the leading industrial designers of the 1930s, Walter Dorwin Teague. The design of the radio is the result of Teague's adoption of a formalist aesthetic citing the appropriateness of geometry derived from machines. Rather than the design relating to the function of the radio, the enormous mirrored disk presents a stunning façade that conceals an otherwise ordinary wooden case housing the radio receiver and its components.
Adapted from
Bonnie Pitman, ed. "Nocturne radio (Model 1186)" in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012), 262.
NOTES
- UMOs pending for audio files. See below.
- Samantha updated Provenance in TMS.
- fun facts source: Adapted from Acquisition Proposal (2004.1), 2004.
- HAB removed this from "audio assets," cannot locate UMO: What was playing on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s? In addition to big band, blues, and jazz music, news and sports reports also filled on-air radio hours. Many commercially sponsored dramas and variety programs were also featured on the radio. In the 1930s, Dupont Company presented the Cavalcade of America series, focusing on American heroes and innovators. The Mercury Theatre on Air featured Orson Welles' New York Drama Company. Listen to three radio excerpts from this period. http://dmaupdate.org/atwasteach/index.html
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: private collection, Massachusetts [1]
n.d.: Michael Lawlor, Santa Barbara, California [1]
From 2004: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased at auction, "Modernist 20 Century," Wright, Chicago, Illinois, December 7, 2003, lot 227 [1], [2]
[1] "227: Walter Dorwin Teague," Wight, accessed July 23, 2015, http://wright20.com/auctions/2003/12/modernist-20th-century/227
[2] See Wright Facsmilie Transmittal Sheet (dated January 7, 2004, copy in Collections Records Object File) and Dallas Museum of Art Purchase Order (dated January 9, 2004, copy in Collections Records Object File).
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
The retail price of Nocturne Radio was $350 in 1936, approximately $4,500 today. As a result of the exorbitant expense, few examples were purchased during the two years it was featured in catalogues, mostly by hotels, clubs and other commercial enterprises rather than private residences for which they were intended.
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Apply to objects where number equals 2004.1.A-C
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General Description
This towering console of satin chrome and mirrored cobalt glass, standing nearly four feet tall, is a commanding example of the styling of goods to meet the Machine Age aesthetic of the 1930s. One of the most dramatic expressions of the fusion of art and technology, the Nocturne radio was designed by one of the leading industrial designers of the 1930s, Walter Dorwin Teague. The design of the radio is the result of Teague's adoption of a formalist aesthetic citing the appropriateness of geometry derived from machines. Rather than the design relating to the function of the radio, the enormous mirrored disk presents a stunning façade that conceals an otherwise ordinary wooden case housing the radio receiver and its components.
Adapted from
Bonnie Pitman, ed. "Nocturne radio (Model 1186)" in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012), 262.
Fun Facts
The retail price of Nocturne Radio was $350 in 1936, approximately $4,500 today. As a result of the exorbitant expense, few examples were purchased during the two years it was featured in catalogues, mostly by hotels, clubs and other commercial enterprises rather than private residences for which they were intended.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- UMOs pending for audio files. See below.
- Samantha updated Provenance in TMS.
- fun facts source: Adapted from Acquisition Proposal (2004.1), 2004.
- HAB removed this from "audio assets," cannot locate UMO: What was playing on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s? In addition to big band, blues, and jazz music, news and sports reports also filled on-air radio hours. Many commercially sponsored dramas and variety programs were also featured on the radio. In the 1930s, Dupont Company presented the Cavalcade of America series, focusing on American heroes and innovators. The Mercury Theatre on Air featured Orson Welles' New York Drama Company. Listen to three radio excerpts from this period. http://dmaupdate.org/atwasteach/index.html
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: private collection, Massachusetts [1]
n.d.: Michael Lawlor, Santa Barbara, California [1]
From 2004: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased at auction, "Modernist 20 Century," Wright, Chicago, Illinois, December 7, 2003, lot 227 [1], [2]
[1] "227: Walter Dorwin Teague," Wight, accessed July 23, 2015, http://wright20.com/auctions/2003/12/modernist-20th-century/227
[2] See Wright Facsmilie Transmittal Sheet (dated January 7, 2004, copy in Collections Records Object File) and Dallas Museum of Art Purchase Order (dated January 9, 2004, copy in Collections Records Object File).
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