Photos By Gail

Manufactured by the Viennese firm J & J Kohn, this elaborate child’s cradle (Model 1573, circa 1895) would have been lined with cushions to create a soft, sheltered, egg-shaped bed for an infant. The curved design, featuring a long vertical arm to support draped netting, reflect the style of art nouveau – an international art, and design movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Durable, light, and innovative in form, steam-molded bentwood furniture pieces like this one became symbols of the new industrial age, demonstrating a desire to elevate the status of the decorative arts (an objective that was shared by the Vienna Secession).

Photographed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City