Warren McArthur’s vanity showcases the new materials and sleek lines of mid-20th-century design. In his furnishings, he celebrated how separate parts were put together, as seen in the screw-on finial caps and joints between aluminum components. Easy assembly became a trademark of McArthur’s designs and modernist styles. His combination of flared lines with the circular mirror contributed to the period’s overall trend toward forms that echo the streamlined ease of machine parts. These types of furnishings were popular with fashionable clientele during the 1930s. The dressing table may have been intended for a private residence, or perhaps a women’s lounge in a theater or hotel.

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DMA Label copy.