Tuesday, April 16, 2013

DOROTHY THORPE - LUCITE FLOOR LAMP


My other lamp score this weekend is a lucite floor lamp attributed to designer Dorothy Thorpe.  For those of you not familiar with this mid-century designer, I've supplied a little history below.
Mid Century Lucite and Brass Floor Lamp by Dorothy Thorpe
"Until the advent of the Mad Men television series, Dorothy Thorpe’s designs languished in relative obscurity, but once Don Draper began drinking out of her now famous roly poly glasses with the silver band rim, her mid-century creations skyrocketed to fame once again.
Dorothy Thorpe of Glendale, California was a world-renowned artist and designer who worked in many media, including glassware. Her career started during the depression days when she decided to make a tumbler from a beer bottle. She saw the sun shining through a beer bottle which had been placed on the window sill and decided to cut the neck off and decorate it with raffia. She gave one of her first creations to her brother who took it to MGM Studios where he worked. Clark Gable saw the glass and liked it so much that he ordered six dozen thereby launching Thorpe’s career.


In a few short years, Dorothy C. Thorpe became famous for her original creations in crystal ware. She had no formal design training, yet she did all her own sketches and drawings. She marketed her first pieces through a small Hollywood gift shop. Soon, buyers from the largest and best known shops saw her work and placed orders. Her list of customers included many of the Hollywood Studios and stars as well as wealthy and famous people, including Princess Grace of Monaco and the Shah of Iran. Besides tableware, Dorothy Thorpe created glass decorations and lamps for the Mormon Temple at Idaho Falls, windows for St. John’s Academy at Camarillo and pieces for several museums. She won many awards and was listed in Who’s Who in American Art. Dorothy Thorpe also created china, silver and linens and worked with plastics and resins.

In the middle of the 20th Century, Dorothy Thorpe began to experiment with lucite and began to add it to some of her regular pieces as well as creating new pieces. Among the most common are the “pretzel” silver band candle holders."
Here are some other examples of Dorothy Thorpe lucite greatness that I hope I can add to my collection some day:
Spectacular Dorothy Thorpe Lucite Chandelier
Pair of Dorothy Thorpe Lucite Candleholders

7 comments:

  1. UMMMMM I've wanted a lucite floor lamp for a long time. Ever since Charmaine found one! You ladies are lucky.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow. Very cool. Have loved Dorothy Thorpe pieces and lucite, duh. Must hear the details on where you found this beauty. Are you keeping this one or selling in the shop? I'm assuming it's a keeper!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You found one too!!! Is yours labeled?

    ReplyDelete
  4. thanks for the info, I'm learning a lot from your gorgeous finds!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another great find! Love how you research all your pieces and share the knowledge. How many lamps do you own right now, about 100? Can't wait to see which ones you put in your sale.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I love this lamp, and I especially love learning the history behind it! The Marbro lamp you recently found is amazing as well, and the Phyllis Morris poodle lamps are simply to die for. Keep up the great work!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment!! I love hearing from you!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.