Wardrobe

This wardrobe was made in London but shows the influence of fashionable Parisian furniture. At the time it was made Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann was a leading designer. Like Ruhlmann's furniture, it uses very rare materials, including shagreen (sharkskin) and ebony veneer. The handles and decorative stringing are made of ivory and even the carcase of the wardrobe is made of expensive mahogany. The wardrobe echoes ideas of Art Deco furniture from Paris. The design is probably by J.F. Johnson, who was designing furniture for Heal & Sons at the time. The London firm is more usually associated with the Arts and Crafts style, and this wardrobe shows that it was keeping abreast of fashion in the 1920s.

Wardrobe · London · 1926-1927. By Johnson, J.F.. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.