There is one other image of this object. See our image rights statement.
Object Timeline
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Object ID #18628817
This is a Textile. It was manufactured by Springs Mills. It is dated 1934–1938 and we acquired it in 1988. Its medium is cotton and its technique is printed on plain weave. It is a part of the Textiles department.
The designer and manufacturer of this textile are unknown, but the subject is telling of the cultural climate that produced it. The photo-collage pattern clearly depicts New York City architecture, from older landmarks like the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, to brand new skyscrapers like the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. By depicting dynamic scenes of America’s most glamorous city, seeks to set a distinctively American national style.
The conspicuously factual approach also functioned as a morale booster, much like the murals produced and funded by the Works Progress Administration in the same period. In a time of woeful economic depression, highlighting American accomplishments and industries, and turning them into art, was often meant to inspire pride. The photographic style of the pattern speaks to some of the WPA’s other initiatives, which used photography to document the lives of Americans.
This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled An Anonymous, Yet Patriotic Textile Design.
It is credited Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.
- Poster, 65 Bridges of New York
- photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper .
- Gift of Sara and Marc Benda.
- 2009-20-50
- Bandbox, Engine Company No. 13
- block printed on handmade paper, pasteboard support.
- Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
- 1917-36-7-a,b
- Painting, View of the Chrysler Building
- oil on canvas.
- Lent by Museum of the City of New York. Gift of Collection of Robert R.....
- 76.2016.2
Our curators have highlighted 1 object that are related to this one.
- Print, Brooklyn Bridge
- lithograph on white paper.
- Museum purchase through gift of Eleanor G. Hewitt.
- 1951-43-6
Its dimensions are
H x W: 184.8 × 88.3 cm (72 3/4 × 34 3/4 in.) Repeat H x W: 43.2 × 77.5 cm (17 × 30 1/2 in.)
Cite this object as
Object ID #18628817; Manufactured by Springs Mills; USA; cotton; H x W: 184.8 × 88.3 cm (72 3/4 × 34 3/4 in.) Repeat H x W: 43.2 × 77.5 cm (17 × 30 1/2 in.); Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund; 1988-55-1
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s.
