Description:

EBONIZED BOOKCASE DESIGNED BY FREDERICK DUNN (AMERICAN, 1905-1984)
Circa 1936. Ebonized wood bookcase with two turned finials, the upper case with two glazed doors and light wood mullions, on a block lower case with front and side doors, raised on a block base painted as light wood.

Frederick Dunn earned a degree in Fine Arts from Yale University, before beginning his career as an architect in 1930s St. Louis alongside Charles Eames and Harris Armstrong. During this time, the popular Art Deco and pared down Classical tastes of the time dictated his designs. When he returned to St. Louis in 1945, after serving in the Navy during World War II, he was able to work in the purer Modernist style that he preferred. Along with residences and churches in Greater St. Louis, he designed the National Council of State Garden Clubs headquarters and Steinberg Memorial Skating Rink in Forest Park.

Dunn designed the bookcase offered here for the St. Louis offices of Nagel & Dunn, Architects, his partnership with Charles Nagel (1899-1992). Dunn and Nagel, who worked together from 1936-1943, were designing homes and interiors in a ‘historically informed modernist style' that was palatable to their clients with more traditional tastes. This included simplified Regency or Federal style houses with coordinated furnishings and interior design. This aesthetic is evident in the bookcase's traditional form but its clean lines and lack of ornamentation.

When Dunn left to serve in the Navy, Nagel retained the bookcase and kept it until his retirement. Before moving to New England, he gifted it to Frederick's daughter, Quinta.

  • Provenance: From the collection of Quinta Scott, St. Louis, Missouri
  • Dimensions: 103 x 49 3/4 x 17 in. (261.6 x 126.4 x 43.2 cm.)
  • Condition:
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November 9, 2024 10:00 AM CST
St. Louis, MO, US

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