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Saturday, February 5, 2011

Attributed to whom?

I'm wary of descriptions that say "attributed to." One of these days, I may be sorry that I passed up a rare piece designed by someone drop-dead famous, but that phrase is a red flag to me. Has the seller failed to do diligent research? Does he know it's a knock-off but is trying to avoid saying so by using clever semantics? I know that some of the most reputable sellers in the business use the term, but I rarely let it influence my decision to buy.

Recently my SIL and I passed on these chairs, which were attributed to Paul McCobb. To be fair, the seller disclosed that there was also "other information attributing them to the Wroughtan Co."  As pretty as they were and even though they went for only $35, we would have had quite a bit more invested by the time we had them shipped from Oregon to Texas, and it wasn't worth the gamble, but I couldn't quit wondering about them.

I finally emailed Jonathan Goldstein at Planner, Perimeter, Predictor, Paul McCobb. He is blogworld's resident expert on Paul McCobb, and if anyone had the lowdown on these chairs, I was sure he would. I was also sure I'd be sick if he told me Paul McCobb really did design the chairs, since someone else grabbed them, and they're long gone...but I had to know.

Within a few minutes, he had emailed me back to say that he is the one who had told the seller the chairs were by Wroughtan, and he sent me a copy of the 1954 ad he sent to the seller as proof of  his claim. (Jonathan may plan to use that ad in his blog eventually, so I won't step on his toes by sharing it here. I owe him that courtesy for being nice enough to respond so quickly and so warmly...but the chairs were right there in the ad, in all their mid-century glory...and not Paul McCobb.)  Is that not the best story ever...and proof that our mid-century world is smaller than we realize? I'll be smiling about that for the rest of the day.

If you haven't checked out Jonathan's blog, I think you'll enjoy it as much as I do. I'm always impressed by the depth of his knowledge.

Chairs attributed to Paul McCobb
proxibid.com
Update (2/5/2011): Jonathan left a comment this morning giving his permission for me to share a Carl's Furniture and Carpets newspaper ad that appeared in the March 12, 1954, edition of the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

Ad  for Wroughtan furniture
The chairs retailed for $16.50 each, and the matching table sold for $36.50. It's interesting to note that the chairs sold just this week for roughly the same price they sold for new in 1954. The designer was Herbert Ritts, Sr., father of photographer Herb Ritts, Jr., famous for his fashion spreads for Versace, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.

Update (9/27/2011): Jonathan just left another comment, stating that he has found more information. He's established that Herbert Ritts, Sr. was not the designer. Instead, it was Forest Wilson.

17 comments:

  1. Those are nice looking chairs and match the table Mr. Modtomic posted not long ago. How nice of Jonathan to help you out with the maker of these chairs. He is extremely knowledgeable and his passion for research is so obvious. I am like you when I see an item that turns my head. While it's nice to know the maker, if the item isn't labeled and I like it, I buy it (within reasonable price).

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  2. Wow. What a small world. I love this story! That is amazing that he responded so quickly.

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  3. Glad I could of some small service.

    Please feel free to post the Wroughtan ad if you like. It's freely available on my Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/29624070@N07/5201474280/ so it's not exactly a state secret!

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    1. Johathan: I was looking for the Carl's Furniture & Carpet ad on your Flickr page but didn't see it there anymore. I just bought 4 pieces of this Wroughtan furniture and would love to have a copy of that ad which I could actually read! The one on Mid2mod's blog is really fuzzy. If you would be so kind could you send me a copy or tell me where you found it? I'm at dbleeker@cox.net. Thank you very much.

      Dene

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  4. @Krazy4Mod: You're right. I'd forgotten that Mr.M. posted about a table that was possibly Wroughtan. According to Jonathan, Paul McCobb was following the trend when he produced his wrought iron furniture, not trendsetting himself. I found that very interesting.

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  5. @Tanya: Yes, I love the story. Who would have thought I'd contact someone to verify or refute something I'd read, and he would turn out to be the source of the information? What a crazy coincidence!

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  6. @Jonathan: Thanks! Since you were the one who did the legwork and turned up the ad, I certainly didn't want to steal your thunder if you were planning to use it in one of your upcoming posts.

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  7. Dana...Joe's former boss here...just spotted some of your Harvest pieces (orange and grey leaves) at the Montgomery Street Antique Mall...they had about 5 plates, a pitcher, cups and saucers ect. They seemed pricey, but everyone was "dealing" today...I should have made note of the booth....kind of in the middle.
    Hope that helps:)

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  8. @Terry: Thanks so much for the heads-up! I just live a few minutes away from there, so I'll stop by tomorrow. It will be my first day out since the ice storm hit. You KNOW I have cabin fever! Thanks for following the blog, Terry...and comment any time. We all need to stay in touch, and we'll want you to come visit us when we open our store, which may be very soon. Joe is really working hard to get us started.

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  9. Great story - and what incredible prices in that ad. Nonetheless, I'm sure that was quite a bit of money for most people at the time.

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  10. @TheEnglishOrganizer: According to an inflation calculator I found online, $102.50 spent on the table and four chairs in 1954 would be roughly equivalent to an $830 purchase today. That sounds about right. The Wroughtan line was probably mid-range furniture.

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  11. I just learned that Herbert Ritts Sr. was NOT the designer of the Wroughtan group for Ritts Co.The designer was a fellow by the name of Forest Wilson a Chicago native.

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    1. Yes,my father Forest Wilson. Forest Wilson and Associate Designers. From Chicago, Ill. and LA, California. Reason why I was from Santa Monica,California because the business was out that area as well. Forest Wilson and Herb Ritts Senior first designed on a napkin in a Restaurant in Chicago. Forest had businesses all over the country and in other countries as well as. He died when he was 53 at an early age.

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  12. @Jonathan: One of the things I love about researching mid-century pieces is that new documentation keeps surfacing. How did you happen upon this information?

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  13. @Dana While doing some unrelated research I came across a page in my clipping file which stated who the designer of this group was. I already had the information just had not read through carefully enough to extract all of the salient points...

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  14. Yes Herb Ritts Sr. and my father Forest Wilson the designer. My Mother was illustrator for Forest. My Mother Ruth Wilson at that time. I was born 1954. I have articles on how the combination of wrought iron and bamboo, was thought of, in a Chicago restaurant, on a napkin.
    Both Herb Ritts and my father Forest Wilson.

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  15. What is interesting to know the time period that Ruth's mentor was Catherine Woermann from Washington University in St. Louis who was Charles Eames first wife.

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