A repository for special research I've done regarding reoccurring designers and designs discussed here on Ars Longa. These articles are much longer and more in-depth that typical blog posts.
The Star Dust Saga - Ever since Ann Kerr stated that the line of furniture we've been calling "515 Star Dust" is a Russel Wright design, many questions about this attribution have been posed but not answered. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet about "Star Dust" furniture, but my recent acquisition of some paperwork dating between September 1950 and October 1951 from the furniture's original manufacturer, the Forest Furniture Company of Wilkesboro, NC, sheds a little more than moonlight on Star Dust's origins.
Ars Longa has been branching out to other online arenas recently, and we hope you'll join us in some of these new adventures.
Ars Longa on Facebook - become a fan of Ars Longa on Facebook! I'm hoping this becomes an extension of the community we've built here on the site, and would love to have a more interconnected network of collector friends participating. Join up and let's see what happens! I would also enjoy if you'd be my friend there as well.
Ars Longa on Twitter - Follow me on Twitter, where I microblog thrift shopping trips, share photos of passed up thrift store items, and muse on modernism, art, and design, among other things. It's a great way to broaden the discussion that begins here on Ars Longa.
Ars Longa on Flickr - I've been uploading tons of photos revolving around various interests touched on here at Ars Longa. Please visit and check out galleries of modernist book covers by Paul Rand, Alvin Lustig, Elaine Lustig, and others, as well as a great archive of our Vera Neumann textile collection. Or just stop by and add me as a contact.
The following publications were used to identify, authenticate, and provide additional information on the items shown and discussed in Ars Longa.
Fiell, Charlotte & Peter. Design of the 20th Century. Cologne, Germany: Taschen, 1999. ISBN 3-8228-7039-0.
Florence, Gene. Collectable Glassware from the 40's, 50's, 60's... Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1994. ISBN 0-89145-553-1.
Greenberg, Cara. Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s. New York, NY: Harmony Books, 1995. ISBN 0-517-88475-5.
Hennessey, William J. Russel Wright: American Designer. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1983. ISBN 0-262-58066-7.
Irving, Clifford. Fake! The Story of Elmyr de Hory, the Greatest Art Forger of Our Time. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969.
Jackson, Lesley. The New Look: Design in the Fifties. New York NY: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1998. ISBN 0-500-27644-7.
Johnson, Donald. Chase Complete: Deco Specialties of the Chase Brass & Copper Co. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1999. ISBN 0-7643-0843-2.
Johnson, Donald-Brian & Piña, Leslie. Higgins: Poetry in Glass Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2005. ISBN 0-7643-2171-4.
Keller, Joe & Ross, David. Russel Wright, Dinnerware, Pottery & More: An Identification and Price Guide. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2000. ISBN 0-7643-1162-X.
Kerr, Ann. Collector's Encyclopedia of Russel Wright, Second Edition. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1998. ISBN 0-89145-768-2.
Kerr, Ann. Collector's Encyclopedia of Russel Wright, Third Edition. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2002. ISBN 1-57432-256-7.
Kerr, Ann. Russel Wright and His Dinnerware: A Descriptive Price Guide. Self Published, 1981.
Kerr, Ann. Russel Wright Dinnerware: Designs for the American Table. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1985. ISBN 0-89145-292-3.
Kissane, Jim. Focus on Grinnell Architecture. Grinnell, IA: The Iowa Humanities Board. 1982. ISBN 3-2661-00105-3371.
Mang, Karl. History of Modern Furniture. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 1978. ISBN 0-8109-1066-7.
Maurer, Gary & Laura. Guide to Russel Wright and Other Mid-Twentieth Century Modern Tablecloths. Unpublished. 2005.
McLendon, Sandy. Dansk Design. Modernism Magazine, Fall 2001, 32-39.
Michalets, Jeanette & Katherine Vera Textiles. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2006. ISBN 0-7643-2406-3.
Piña, Leslie. Blenko: Cool '50s & '60s Glass. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2000. ISBN 0-7643-1135-2.
Piña, Leslie. Blenko Glass: 1962-1971 Catalogs. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2000. ISBN 0-7643-1026-7.
Pratt, Michael. Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware: A Pictoral Guide, Ak-Sar-Ben to Pope-Gosser. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 0-7643-1736-9.
Pratt, Michael. Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware: A Pictoral Guide, Redwing to Winfield. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 0-7643-1914-0.
Pratt, Michael. Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware: Ak-Sar-Ben Pottery, Denwar Ceramics, Iroquois China Company, Laurel Potteries of California, Royal china Company, Stetson China Company. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2002. ISBN 0-7643-1567-6.
Racheter, Richard G. Tableware Designs of Ben Seibel: 1940s-1980s. Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 0-7643-1603-6.
Weber, Nicholas Fox. Josef + Anni Albers: Designs for Living. Modernism Magazine, Winter 2004-05, 71-79.
There are many great websites dealing with thrift store shopping, midcentury design, or some combination of the two. The following sites are some of my favorites.
A Journey Round My Skull - Unhealthy book fetishism from a reader, collector, and amateur historian of forgotten literature.
Apron Thrift Girl - I love Thrifting, collecting vintage linens, doing a variety of crafts, collecting vintage aprons, collecting children's books especially those illustrated by Jane Dyer and collecting other vintage items to fill my 1927 cottage. When I am not collecting I am writing or reading books.
BarryBlog - Barry Smith's creative dumping ground for design issues, innovation, ideas, mid-century modern decorative arts & collectibles, and more.
Bits & Bobbins - Tricia creates whimsical wearables by tossing together equal parts leather, thread, needles, fabric and yarn. her handiwork is proudly influenced by color theory, style on the city streets, and funky grandmothers everywhere.
Dinnae Ken - Gathering her brows like gathering storm, nursing her wrath to keep it warm.
Eichler Homes - Resource guide for owning, buying and selling a mid-century modern Joseph Eichler home or condo in San Francisco & Marin County, California.
Garage Sales Tracker - A one-stop website for garage sales listings, with tools for both sellers and bargain hunters. Now expanded with a flea market and consignment sale directory!
Manic Thrift Store Shopper - Thrifing is life. Thrifting is recycling. Thrifting is saving things that other people discard and making them work for you. Everyone knows I love to thrift. My house, my life, is made up of cast off things.
The Midcentury Modernist - A website dedicated to the Modern movement, as both a historical milestone and a living, breathing ideal, reflected in much of today's best design and architecture.
Midmod Musings - I'm a writer and collector of midcentury design: if it was made between 1930 and 1965, chances are I love it.
MODish.net - A network for collectors of midcentury modern dinnerware and pottery.
MoModerne - I love modern architecture especially here in St. Louis. I'm not much of a collector, as I am a bit of a minimalist, but appreciate design in almost any form. Hopefully this will be a place for me to share my love of design, home, and shopping adventures.
Potteries of California - A personal fan site, blog and photo archive for California Pottery with the intentions of eventually also functioning as a meeting and discussion place for other fans and collectors, as well as functioning as a limited reference guide.
Red Wing Dinnerware - Providing information on Red Wing dinnerware for the avid collector.
Tandem Antiques - Interesting objects carefully chosen to enrich your environment.
The Thrift Shopper - A one-stop web destination for all your thrift shopping needs. Search for thrift stores in our national thrift store directory, join our online thrifting community, and learn more about thrift shopping!
Thrift Store Adventures - Seeking to answer the question "How could they throw that away?" by posing the equally problematic question "Why in the hell did I just buy that?"
Thriftaholic - A joint project between two best friends, Leilani & Jade, who have a passion for thrifting!
ThriftWhore - A LiveJournal community where it doesn't take a lot of money.
Yardsale Bloodbath - Various thoughts on yard sales and related subjects, ranging from philosophical musings to "oh my god, I can't believe that person was trying to sell their used granny panties."