San Antonio College Library

The mid-twentieth century was one of the most popular, collectable, and dynamic periods of international design. Drawing on the inventive style of the era, Mid-Century Modern Icons of Design features exclusive illustrations of iconic mid century designs, from Eames chairs to Poul Henningsen lamps and George Nelson clocks, all rendered in a distinctive graphic style befitting the era. Four concertina books, collected in a stylish slipcase, unfold accordion-style...

Designers include: Michael Thonet, Otto Wagner, Alvar Aalto, Victor Horta, Henry van de Velde, Peter Behrens, Marcel Breuer, Charles Eames, Eero Saarinin, Hans Wegner, Joe Colombo, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Josef Hoffmann, George Nelson [and others.].

"The 1940s was a decade of contradictions in which designers pushed the clock's hands back and forth. Keen as they were to pick up where they had left off before World War II, they were also determined to rethink furniture and living space in the context of new technologies developed in the war industry, and modern lifestyle tastes. The great wave of post-war consumerism inaugurated a new era of prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, and people...

Businessman and art collector Hermann Lange kept an especially close friendship with architect Mies van der Rohe and the interior designer Lilly Reich, regularly sharing family, friends and each other's company. Between 1927 and 1930, this mutually energizing association resulted in collaborative structures such as Lange's own home, the famous Haus Lange in Krefeld, and the "Crous" apartment designed for Lange's eldest daughter and her husband in...

The molding of an American -- A natural path to modernism -- Designing furniture for mass production -- The Herman Miller connection -- The 1933 Chicago Fair -- Marketing modernism -- Promoting modernism in industry, education, and retailing -- Exhibits designed to sell : products, ideas, and image -- American modernism comes into focus.