SPun Aluminum designs by Russel Wright

Informal Serving Accessories
Manufactured 1930-1940
Aluminum, raffia, cork, and wood
On loan from the Collection of Gary and Laura Maurer

May 13 through July 30, 2016

Russel and Mary Wright entered the home furnishings market in the early 1930s when the start of the Depression and the end of Prohibition made an impact on the American domestic environment. Their first commercial line, Informal Serving Accessories, included the punch bowls, cocktail sets, tidbit trays, and other objects on display here. Although Wright also experimented with such expensive materials and processes as sterling silver and chrome, it was the less costly aluminum, which resembled traditional pewter when rubbed with emery cloth, that meshed with the Wrights’ desire to reach a broad audience. The line’s so-called spun aluminum process made it possible to manufacture it from a workshop within the Wright’s New York City residence.

The line’s objects featured simple geometric shapes that catered to sophisticated urbanites interested in machine-age aesthetics. Cool aluminum was juxtaposed with wood knobs and handles; cork and rattan sleeves made the pieces warm to the touch. Mary Wright came up with the idea of marketing the line with themed casual parties, ideal ways to economize during the Depression and a mainstay of the Wright’s philosophy made famous in their 1950 book Guide to Easier Living.

A flower arranging room when Russel Wright lived at Manitoga, this space is being used as a gallery for temporary displays of the Wrights’ designs for the home.

Photos: Spun Aluminum designs on display in the Flower Arranging Room at Manitoga, Vivian Linares; Spun Aluminum Display and 1932 Bonwit Teller Print Ads, Manitoga Archives