Designer: Gilbert Rohde, Manufacturer: Herman Miller, Inc.
Date:
Designed 1939
Medium:
East Indian rosewood, sequoia-burl veneers, ebonized plywood, vinyl-coated fabric, brass, brass-plated steel, mirrored glass, Plexiglas or Lucite
Size:
Depth: 16″
Width: 51″
Height: 50″

Three circular mirrors reflected various angles for the fashionable woman who once dressed at this vanity. Marketing to women in the growing upper-middle income households of the 1940s, the sales catalog for this piece emphasized the glamour of designer Gilbert Rohde’s new materials, describing how “the Plexiglas used for the pulls is a crystal-clear plastic that catches highlights with the brilliance of a diamond.” This vanity was part of a suite of matching bedroom furniture mass-produced by the Herman Miller company.

Gift of Michael and Anis Merson, Baltimore BMA 2000.226

A Reference to a Car?

Transcript

Aaron Henkin] With me is Mark Ward. He is a plastics fabricator from Precision Plastic. Well Mark, plastic
acrylic is a big part of the design here.
[Mark Ward] Absolutely. The knobs here, which are acrylic are also easy to polish, easy to maintain. The
designer was trying to look ahead because acrylic was a fairly new product at the time. It kind of feels very
dashboard-like to me in a futuristic way.
[Aaron Henkin] This is at a time I imagine when there was a great love affair with the American automobile,
and here’s a chance for a version of the new American automobile right in the comfort of your own
bedroom.
[Mark Ward] I totally agree. I even think the mirrors have a very rearview mirror kind of effect to them, so I
would certainly agree with that.