Object Timeline

1952

  • Work on this object began.

2016

  • We acquired this object.

2017

2024

  • You found it!

Textile, Geraniums

This is a Textile. It was designed by Brian Connelly and produced by Associated American Artists. It is dated 1952 and we acquired it in 2016. Its medium is cotton barkcloth and its technique is printed. It is a part of the Textiles department.

Brian Connelly, a self-taught trompe l’oeil expert, submitted his Geraniums design to Youngstown Kitchens, a kitchen cabinet company preparing to launch a collection of coordinating fabrics, wallcoverings, and decals. Connelly’s entry was one of three selected for their “originality and adaptability.” (1) The design depicts flower pots on windowsills, the red blossoms and green leaves stretching in front of dappled pink curtains.
The July 1953 issue of Living for Young Homemakers featured an illustration of a family choosing between the three designs. (2)
The museum currently holds one example of Connelly’s work, a textile called Golf Magic (2002-23-1).
(1) Gail Windisch, Sylvan Cole Jr., and Karen J. Herbaugh, Art for Every Home: Associated American Artists, 1934-2000 (Manhattan: Marianna Kistler Beach Museum, Kansas State University, 2016): 195.
(2) Ibid., 200.

This object was donated by American Textile History Museum. It is credited American Textile History Museum Collection, gift of Donna Mydlarz.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 95.3 × 88.9 cm (37 1/2 in. × 35 in.)

Cite this object as

Textile, Geraniums; Designed by Brian Connelly (American, 1926 - 1962); Produced by Associated American Artists (United States); cotton barkcloth; H x W: 95.3 × 88.9 cm (37 1/2 in. × 35 in.); American Textile History Museum Collection, gift of Donna Mydlarz; 2016-35-64

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1108711667/ |title=Textile, Geraniums |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>