See more objects with the color darkgrey grey dimgrey or see all the colors for this object.
Object Timeline
|
1946 |
|
|
1950 |
|
|
1952 |
|
|
1995 |
|
|
2011 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
2024 |
|
Sidewall, Views of Paris
This is a sidewall. It was designed by Saul Steinberg and manufactured by Piazza Prints Inc.. It is dated 1946–50 and we acquired it in 1952. Its medium is screen-printed paper. It is a part of the Wallcoverings department.
While Steinberg trained as an architect, he is best known for his satirical cartoons in The New Yorker. He began drawing shortly after enrolling in college and had his first cartoon published in The New Yorker in 1941, and even after joining the US Navy in 1943 he continued sending in cartoons from his various stations across Europe. Over the span of his career he illustrated 85 covers and had 642 illustrations published in The New Yorker.
During the 1950s, he was also busy designing wallpapers, as the Cooper-Hewitt contains eight different designs created from 1946 through the early 1950s. All but one of these was printed by Piazza Prints. All contain the wonderful line illustrations Steinberg is famous for, with his whimsy, anecdotal humor, unusual perspectives and changes in scale. This is one of two designs by Steinberg containing Parisian themes, the other being the Opera. This design contains illustrations of many well-known Parisian landmarks all drawn with an unusual perspective that appears to zoom in and out at random, creating a very upbeat design with a wonderful rhythm. Of special interest and one of the unique aspects of the Cooper Hewitt collection, the original drawing for this wallpaper is also contained in the museum collection. Interest in Paris and other European cities was greatly enhanced by the boom in international travel following the end of World War II.
Other Steinberg works in the Cooper-Hewitt permanent collection include designs for other wallpapers, posters, and printed textiles with both similar and different patterns than the wallpapers. Owing to the fun and timeless nature of the designs, Views of Paris and other Steinberg designs are still available on wallpaper and textiles through Schumacher.
This object was
donated by
Harvey Smith.
It is credited Gift of Harvey Smith.
- Textile (USA)
- cotton.
- Gift of Mrs. Montgomery Hare.
- 1932-11-13
- Textile, Monuments of Paris
- cotton.
- Museum purchase from Au Panier Fleuri Fund.
- 1957-51-2-a
- Sidewall, Paris Exposition of 1855
- block-printed paper.
- Gift of Sophia Credle.
- 1962-139-1
Our curators have highlighted 7 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:
- Poster, An American in Paris, Théâtre du Châtelet
- screenprint on paper.
- Gift of Philippe Apeloig in honor of Gail Davidson.
- 2015-34-2
- Sidewall, Travelogue, 1963
- screen printed on vinyl.
- Gift of The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology.
- 1998-75-177
- Balustrade Medallion from Entrance to Paris Subway Medallion
- cast iron, paint.
- Gift of Harry C. Sigman.
- 2013-21-6
Its dimensions are
114 x 76 cm (44 7/8 x 29 15/16 in.)
Cite this object as
Sidewall, Views of Paris; Designed by Saul Steinberg (American, b. Romania, 1914–1999); Manufactured by Piazza Prints Inc. (United States); USA; screen-printed paper; 114 x 76 cm (44 7/8 x 29 15/16 in.); Gift of Harvey Smith; 1950-126-4-a,b
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions Making Design and Kitsch to Corbusier: Wallpapers from the 1950s.
