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Object Timeline

1939

  • Work on this object began.

2015

2016

2024

  • You found it!

Skyway Salt and Pepper Shakers Salt And Pepper Shakers

This is a salt and pepper shakers. It was designed by Russel Wright and manufactured by Chase Brass & Copper Co.. It is dated 1939 and we acquired it in 2015. Its medium is stamped and pierced chromium-plated steel, molded plastic. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

Designed by architects and an artist, the geometric forms of these salt and pepper shakers show American modernism’s affinity for simplicity. During the 1930s the emergence of aluminum and stainless steel tableware coincided with the rise of modernist designs for everyday objects. The use of these metals for tableware offered Depression-era consumers a cost-efficient alternative to silver at the dining room table. No-tarnish aluminum and stainless steel were labor saving compared to silver. The cost efficiency of the use of these metals is disguised by the fashionability of machine-age modernism on the table.

This object was donated by George R. Kravis II. It is credited Gift of George R. Kravis II.

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Its dimensions are

H x W x D (each): 3.2 × 3.2 × 3.2 cm (1 1/4 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 in.)

Cite this object as

Skyway Salt and Pepper Shakers Salt And Pepper Shakers; Designed by Russel Wright ((American, 1904–1976)); Manufactured by Chase Brass & Copper Co. (United States); stamped and pierced chromium-plated steel, molded plastic; H x W x D (each): 3.2 × 3.2 × 3.2 cm (1 1/4 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 in.); Gift of George R. Kravis II; 2015-5-9-a/d

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Energizing the Everyday: Gifts From the George R. Kravis II Collection.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/68814003/ |title=Skyway Salt and Pepper Shakers Salt And Pepper Shakers |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>