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Public Domain

Greta Grossman and Ralph O. Smith Company

Table Lamp

1947-1948

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Table Lamp

1947-1948

Physical Qualities Brass, aluminum, plastic, 27 × 27 × 22 in. (68.6 × 68.6 × 55.9 cm.)
Credit Line Albert H. Cousins Memorial Fund
Object Number 2020.10
Immigrant women had a revolutionary impact on American industrial design in the first half of the 20th century. This tri-colored lamp was designed by internationally recognized, Swedish-born furniture maker Greta Grossman, who escaped Nazi persecution in 1940 and settled in Los Angeles, California. Grossman’s Scandinavian approach to interior design was practical and simplified. She was known for designing complete rooms furnished with simple, curving shapes and solid colors to promote a soothing and functional lifestyle. House and Garden magazine described Grossman’s industrial designs as “modern-toorder.” There are probably twelve examples of this lamp, and this is the only known tricolored version. Using Grossman’s drawings, the two-man workshop Ralph O. Smith Company fabricated the metal arms and conical shades, and the work was retailed in Grossman’s storefront on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 2020; R & Company LLC by purchase, 2014; Modern Times, Chicago, IL

Designer

Greta Grossman

1905–1998

American, born Sweden, 1906-1999
Meet Greta Grossman

Manufacturer

Ralph O. Smith Company

1946–1953

American, active c. 1947-1954
Meet Ralph O. Smith Company

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