Shopping at Mid-Century: Baldwin Kingrey and New Design

New Design shop, New York 1948

I wrote a post several months ago about a Boston-area designer and overall renaissance person, Fran Hosken. During the late 1940’s, Fran visited a number of department stores and boutique shops trying to find retail outlets for her work.

Wherever she traveled, Fran took color slides of modern architecture and interiors. From what I have seen, Fran was not a great photographer. Her pictures were apt to be out of focus, but her intellect was laser-like and she was nothing if not methodical. The result was a lifelong mission that produced tens of thousands of slides, the bulk of which now form an archive at Texas A&M University.

 
Baldwin Kingrey shop, Chicago 1948

On a field trip to Chicago in 1948, Fran stopped at the recently opened modern design shop, Baldwin Kingrey (BK). I don’t think BK wound up distributing any of Fran’s pieces, but the pictures Fran took provide a window into this now-legendary emporium, and literally add color to a monograph about the shop published a few years ago by Richard Wright called Baldwin Kingrey: Midcentury Modern in Chicago.

Established in 1947, BK was among the first shops in the country to focus exclusively on progressive modernist design, or what John Brunetti, the author of the monograph, called affordable good design. A major entrepôt for Alvar Aalto furniture and glass, BK also showcased local and regional talent. Drawing on the abilities of architect/designer Harry Weese and noted interior designer Benjamin Baldwin—the husband and brother, respectively, of principal Kitty Baldwin—BK proffered a glimpse of a spare new aesthetic, and became a gathering place for local architects, designers, and Institute of Design students.

Baldwin Kingrey shop, Chicago 1948

Visible in Fran’s pictures of BK are furniture designs by Cranbrook grads Charles and Ray Eames; lighting by Harry Weese, Walter von Nessen, and Kurt Versen; wooden bowls by Institute of Design grad and instructor James Prestini; jewelry by Cranbrook grad Harry Bertoia; and textiles by Institute of Design grad Angelo Testa. Additional offerings during the successful ten-year run under Kitty Baldwin and Jody Kingrey included furniture by Bruno Mathsson, Borge Mogensen, Eero Saarinen, George Nelson, and Harry Weese; toys by Kaj Bojesen; fabrics by Alexander Girard; glass by Venini and Blenko; and artworks by Hugo Weber and Bob Tague.

New Design shop, New York 1948

As its name suggests, the New Design Shop in New York was another pioneering showcase of the sort of design soon to be codified by MoMA as “Good Design.” Like BK, New Design consisted of artfully composed room arrangements, with meticulous attention paid to background details such as curtains, rugs, and wall colors, so that a way of living and an interior aesthetic were promoted as well as a collection of objects. Unlike BK, New Design did not last long, and Fran’s pictures are among the few records of this long-defunct business.

New Design shop, New York 1948

A close look at the pictures of New Design shows a somewhat different mix than BK, with less European design, and a strong focus on work from the NYC-based Knoll company, marking New Design as an early distributor of Knoll. Among the Knoll pieces evident in the photos are chairs and sofas by Jens Risom; sideboards, desks, and letter trays by Florence Knoll; side tables by Abel Sorenson; and a coffee table by George Nakashima, who was then part of the Knoll design team. Other American designs in the collection include chairs, tables, and screens by Charles and Ray Eames; stacking aluminum chairs by Jack Hainey; case pieces and clocks by George Nelson; outdoor furniture by Van Keppel Green; lighting by Kurt Versen and Walter von Nessen; glassware by Aalto and Chemex; dinnerware by Russel Wright; textiles by Angelo Testa; and modernist jewelry, probably by Art Smith and Sam Kramer. A friend of Fran’s, the proprietor of New Design also showed several Hosken Inc. designs.

New Design shop, New York 1948

Despite a lack of primary evidence, I have no doubt that the New Design shop functioned in a manner similar to Baldwin Kingrey. The forums created by BK and New Design reflected what was happening in the moment in progressive design and architecture circles. Both shops helped disseminate ideas about modern design, cross-pollinating architects, designers, and interior designers, and cultivating and educating a new clientele. If I could imaginatively enter these photographs, I’d try to sample the sense of discovery and shared purpose, but mostly I’d try to pick up a red Eames child’s chair or a Bertoia necklace or a Bianconi vase at 1948 prices.

All images by Fran Hosken.