Manhattan thumbnail 1
Not on display

Manhattan

Hanging
1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This printed cotton furnishing fabric was designed by Ruth Reeves (1892-1966) for W. & J. Sloane in 1930. Reeves trained with Fernand Léger (1881-1955) during the 1920s and was influenced by his Cubist paintings. She produced a wide range of printed and woven fabrics, mainly depicting modern life in America. Her most widely acknowledged commission was for the carpets in Radio City Music Hall in New York.

‘Manhattan’ shows the high-rise New York cityscape at the beginning of the 1930s It includes the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn bridge and the Statue of Liberty as well as automobiles, factories, trains and biplanes and people typing in offices, taking photographs and enjoying the nightlife.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleManhattan (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Printed cotton voile
Brief description
Printed cotton voile, American, 1930, designed by Ruth Reeves for W.& J. Sloane, 'Manhattan'
Physical description
Design depicting the highrise cityscape of Manhattan at the beginning of the 1930s. Includes the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn bridge and the Statue of Liberty as well as automobiles, factories, trains and biplanes and women typing in offices, telephone operators at their switchborads, people taking photographs and enjoying the nightlife.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 85mm
  • Width: 94cm (Note: Taken from Registered Description)
  • Length: 254cm (Note: Taken from Registered Description)
Style
Gallery label
Reeves studied in Brooklyn, New York , and with Fernand Léger in Paris. This design shows the influence of both. Symbols of modernity -transport, engineering, architecture and communications technology- are linked by Cubist-inspired compositional devices to create a romantic vision of Manhattan.
Credit line
Given by W.&J. Sloane
Object history
Registered File Number 1618/1932 taken from Departmental record
Summary
This printed cotton furnishing fabric was designed by Ruth Reeves (1892-1966) for W. & J. Sloane in 1930. Reeves trained with Fernand Léger (1881-1955) during the 1920s and was influenced by his Cubist paintings. She produced a wide range of printed and woven fabrics, mainly depicting modern life in America. Her most widely acknowledged commission was for the carpets in Radio City Music Hall in New York.

‘Manhattan’ shows the high-rise New York cityscape at the beginning of the 1930s It includes the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn bridge and the Statue of Liberty as well as automobiles, factories, trains and biplanes and people typing in offices, taking photographs and enjoying the nightlife.
Bibliographic reference
Samuels, Charlotte. Art Deco Textiles. London : V&A Publications, 2003. Plate 69.
Collection
Accession number
T.57-1932

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Record createdAugust 29, 2002
Record URL
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