Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
Original Vintage Air Travel Poster New York TWA David Klein Up Up And Away
By David Klein
Located in London, GB
Original vintage travel poster - New York Fly TWA - featuring an iconic design by the American artist David Klein (1918-2005) depicting a bright and colourful abstract view of Times ...
Paper
$812Sale Price|30% Off
Vintage Anatomical Human Internal Organs Structure Chart, 1951, Germany
Located in Biebergemund, Hessen
Vintage pull-down anatomical human chart, print of a painting for Dr. Neues & Co Kempen, Germany. The chart is part of the series: Biologisch-hygienisches Unterichtswerk des Deutsche...
Linen, Paper
Framed Vintage Life-Size Marilyn Monroe Pin-Up Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
A super fun vintage framed life-size pin-up poster of a young Marilyn Monroe in a red and white striped bikini and showing her Classic shining smile.
Paper
Sister Mary Corita Exhibition Poster/Announcement, Morris Gallery 1966
Located in New York, NY
Exhibition poster and announcement for a show of Sister Mary Corita Kent's new serigraphs held at New York City's Morris Gallery from December 7-31, 1966, ...
Paper
Alexander Calder Haus der Kunst Munich Original German Exhibition Poster 1975
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautifully composed and brightly colored original vintage Alexander Calder German (Haus der Kunst Munich) Exhibition poster from 1975. The colors of the print are still quite vib...
Paper
Original Vintage Snoopy Poster, "L’amour Toujours l’amour" Circa 1958
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
This is an original vintage Snoopy poster from 1958, this is a collectors item in good condition! This poster has been linen backed for preservat...
Paper
$1,024Sale Price|20% Off
ART SALE David Hockney Nichols Canyon Exhibition Poster Denmark
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Original oversized Hockney Lithograph Exhibition Poster of Nichols Canyon, in California Louisiana Museum of Art, Humlebæk, Denmark The lithograph was printed in Denmark, on high-...
Paper
$544Sale Price / item|20% Off
SALE David Hockney Park Hotel Munich Orig Exhibition Lithograph Poster Denmark
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
David Hockney Park Hotel Munich Original Exhibition Lithograph Poster Denmark 1972 David Hockney Original Exhibition Lithograph Poster entitled Park Hotel Munich published by the Louisiana Museum of Art. Denmark. Beautiful, calming, minimalist, David Hockney lithograph...
Paper
A Classic Jasper Johns Savarin Paint Poster 1977 Whitney Museum
By Jasper Johns
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
"This first edition exhibition poster was designed and created by Jasper Johns for a retrospective of his work at the Whitney Museum in 1977-1978. It was published by the Whitney Mu...
Paper
"Dublin Horse Show" Pan American Vintage Poster by Olive Whitmore, 1954
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Offered is an original vintage travel poster issued by Pan American World Airways in 1954, promoting Dublin, Ireland as one of the airline’s premier international destinations. The p...
Paper
David Hockney 1986 Pear Blossom Highway Original Exhibition Lithograph Poster
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
David Hockney 1986 Pear Blossom Highway Original Exhibition Lithograph Poster Amazing, Out-of-Print, original, 1986 David Hockney Exhibition Lithograph Poster, entitled "Pear Blosso...
Paper
James Bond 'Dr. No' Original Vintage British Quad Movie Poster, 1962
Located in Devon, GB
A scarce and sought after country-of-origin poster for the first release of the first James Bond film. Based on Ian Fleming's novel of the same name, the 1962 release of 'Dr. No' fir...
Linen, Paper
'The Endless Summer' Original Us Film Poster by John Van Hamersveld, 1965
Located in Devon, GB
With its laid back surfer silhouettes against a day-glo sunset, John Van Hamersveld''s poster art for Bruce Brown's seminal surf film 'The Endless Summer' has become a cultural pheno...
Paper
Original Mexico 68 Poster, printed by Miguel Galas S.A.
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Original poster from the XIX Olympiad Mexico 1968, printed on paper and created within the iconic graphic universe developed for the Mexico 68 Olympic Games. The composition presents...
Paper
Richard Estes Photorealism 2007 Exhibition Lithograph Telephone Booths N Y C
By Richard Estes 1
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Amazing Original 2007 Richard Estes Museum Realism Exhibition Lithograph Poster "Telephone Booths" 1967 New York City. Published by the exhibition's host, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Mus...
Paper
$641Sale Price|35% Off
Original 1972 Exhibition Poster by Joan Miró – "Sobreteixims i Escultures"
By Joan Miró
Located in Barcelona, ES
Original 1972 Exhibition Poster by Joan Miró – "Sobreteixims i Escultures," Sala Gaspar Artist: Joan Miró Exhibition: "Sobreteixims i Escultures," Sala Gaspar, Barcelona Year: 19...
Paper
French Dubonnet Advertising Poster Print with Blue Cat Design, 1937 D'Ornellas.
Located in Seattle, WA
This French advertising print features the iconic Dubonnet aperitif design with a whimsical blue cat in three playful poses, accompanied by the bold red text: "Dubo - Dubon- Dubonnet...
Paper
Vintage Pop Art Poster "Love Love Love" By Lothar Gunther Buchheim, 1969
By Peter Max
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Mid Century Modern Psychedelic Pop Art Poster " Love Love Love " By Lothar Gunther Buchheim, 1969 "Lothar-Günther Buchheim (February 6, 1918 – February 22, 2007) was a Germa...
Paper
Original Movie Poster, 007 James Bond, Goldfinger, Sean Connery, Gun, 1980
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Promotional poster for the famous film "Goldfinger," the third film in the James Bond 007 saga, released in 1964. This particular version of the poster is a 1980s re-release. Artist...
Paper
$835Sale Price|20% Off
Jacob Lawrence Poster The Relay Race Lithograph Olympic Games Munich 1972
By Jacob Lawrence
Located in Praha, CZ
- rare - marked - original - can be framed and glazed.
Paper
'Moulin Rouge' Original Vintage Movie Poster by Lucjan Jagodzinski, Polish, 1957
Located in Devon, GB
Based on the novel by Pierre La Mure, the 1952 British film 'Moulin Rouge' is a fictionalized account of the life of street artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as he pursues his art in ...
Paper, Linen
Classic Erik Bruun Finnair Vintage Travel Poster, 1958
By Erik Bruun
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A Classic vintage Finnair travel poster circa 1958 by Erik Bruun, a noted Finnish graphic designer. Erik Bruun (born 1926 in Viipuri) is a Finnish graphic ...
Paper
"It's the Big One With the Big Two! El Dorado" Vintage Movie Poster, 1966
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Presented is an original movie poster for El Dorado. El Dorado is a 1966 Paramount movie directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Loosely based on the 196...
Paper
Original Vintage South America Travel Poster Iguazu Falls Argentina Steamer
Located in London, GB
Original vintage South America travel poster for Iguazu Argentina featuring a red paddle boat steamer sailing on the Iguazu River with the smoke from the funnel forming the shape of ...
Paper
Original Mexico 68 Poster – Diving
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Printed by Impresos Automáticos de México S.A., circa 1968. We offer this original Mexico 68 Olympic Games poster dedicated to the sport of diving. The composition features a stylize...
Paper
Original Vintage Train Travel Advertising Poster Basque Coast Visit France SNCF
Located in London, GB
Original vintage travel advertising poster - Visit France The Basque Coast use the trains and motor coaches of the French National Railroads - featuring a great scene of the Basque C...
Paper
"The U.S. Marines Want You" Vintage WWII Recruitment Poster, 1940
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
This is an original World War II Marines recruitment poster, issued in 1940. The poster depicts a no-nonsense Marine drill instructor, pointing directly at the viewer, in front of a ...
Paper
'Ulysses' Original Vintage Movie Poster by Wiktor Gorka, Polish, 1957
By Wiktor Gorka
Located in Devon, GB
A simplified adaptation of Homer's 'Odyssey,' the 1954 Italian fantasy-adventure film 'Ulysses' follows the warrior king on his wandering ten year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, where his loyal queen and son pray for his safe return. Kirk Douglas starred as the titular Greek hero, alongside producer Dino De Laurentiis' wife Silvana Mangano in a double role as both the faithful wife Penelope and mysterious sorceress Circe. Shot over seven months on a budget of $3 million, with almost a year in post-production, 'Ulysses' earned $124 million at the US box office alone and provided a template for Italian productions to come, igniting the sword-and-sandal craze for lavish Greco-Roman historical...
Paper
Original Vintage SNCF Railway Travel Poster Discover France By Train Provence
Located in London, GB
Original vintage SNCF railway travel poster - Provence Discover France By Train French National Railroads - featuring a bright and colourful scene with a fruit dish of grapes, a wate...
Paper
Original Vintage Poster, Pinocchio, Walt Disney, Cartoon, Children, Fairy, 1980
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Walt Disney poster to promote the cartoon Pinocchio from 1980. Artist: Anonymous Title: Pinocchio Date: circa 1980 Size (w x h): 15.7 x 21.7 in / 4...
Paper
Original Vintage Advertising Poster, PERRIER by Andy Warhol c. 1983
By Andy Warhol
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
During the beginning of the 1980’s, Warhol began accepting commissions from a range of manufacturers and businesses; this screen print was an experimental design for French mineral w...
Paper
Original Pablo Picasso Poster, 1957, Galerie Louise Leiris
By Mourlot, Pablo Picasso
Located in Sharon, CT
Important early original poster by Picasso, printed by his lithographer, Mourlot. Paris, for an exhibition of paintings at Galerie Louise Leiris, 1957. Literature: Bloch, 1275; Mo...
Paper
'To Kill a Mockingbird' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Romanian, 1963
Located in Devon, GB
A scarce original poster for the first Romanian release of the 1962 American film adaptation of Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' which addressed themes of racism and injustice in the Deep South. Gregory Peck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Alabama lawyer Atticus Finch, while his ten-year-old co-star Mary Badham was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for her role as daughter Scout. Robert Duvall made his big screen debut as the misunderstood recluse Boo Radley...
Linen, Paper
$2,560Sale Price|20% Off
Original Vintage Poster, 'Relax' 1964 by Rene Gruau
By René Gruau
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Original Vintage Poster, 'Relax' 1964 by Rene Gruau The fifties were the last flowering of the golden age of the ocean liner, which would soon be usurped by the jet plane. During th...
Paper
Italian Campari 'Soda Corre Con Tempo' Oversize Original Vintage Poster, 1968
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Campari Soda Corre Con Tempo Original Vintage Poster Beautiful and striking Campari Soda Corre Con Tempo. This poster suits any space! This is an original poster which has been line...
Paper
Framed Calder Galerie Maeght Lithograph Poster Maeght Editeur - Arte Paris 70s
By Galerie Maeght, Calder
Located in New York, NY
Bold, colorful and graphic Galerie Maeghgt Calder Poster by Maeght Editeur - Arte Paris. The poster is in it's original vintage frame with a blue mat border, aluminum frame and gla...
Paper
$490Sale Price|35% Off
Original 1970 Exhibition Poster by Antoni Clavé – Sala Gaspar, Barcelona
By Antoni Clavé
Located in Barcelona, ES
Original 1970 Exhibition Poster by Antoni Clavé – Sala Gaspar, Barcelona Artist: Antoni Clavé Exhibition: Sala Gaspar, Barcelona Year: 1970 Dimensions: 76 x 56.5 cm Condition: G...
Paper
Original Vintage Poster Lexicon Hispano Olivetti Typewriter Graphic Design Bird
Located in London, GB
Original vintage Avant Garde advertising poster for the Lexicon Hispano Olivetti 80 typewriter model featuring a great mid-century graphic design depicting a colourful bird flying above a photograph of a new Olivetti typewriter...
Paper
Original Vintage Poster Hispano Olivetti Lexicon 80 Typewriter Midcentury Modern
Located in London, GB
Original vintage advertising poster for the Hispano Olivetti Lexicon 80 typewriter model featuring a colourful mid-century design against a dark background with typewriter keys...
Paper
Large Original Vintage Billboard Poster Guinness For Strength Scuba Diver Whale
Located in London, GB
Rare billboard Size original vintage Guinness advertising poster - Guinness for Strength - featuring fun Mid-Century Modern image of a scu...
Paper
Original Rare Venice Gondola Travel Poster By Adolphe Jean-Marie Cassandre
Located in Vienna, AT
Original vintage poster by Adolphe Jean-Marie Cassandre created in 1951. Published for the Venezia Graphic design conference and for the Italian tourist office ENIT to promote the ci...
Paper
Henri Matisse Paper Cut-Outs St. Louis Art Museum Original Exhibition Poster
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautifully composed and brightly colored original vintage Henri Matisse poster from his 1978 St. Louis Art Museum Paper Cut-Outs exhibition (which was also was featured at The Nat...
Paper
Original Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe 1971 Poster for Tate Museum
By Andy Warhol
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A rare and Original Poster for 1971 Warhol Tate Museum Exhibition. The poster is Marilyn 1964, silk screen by Warhol. In very good condition for the age. No Rips or Tears. A grea...
Paper
Set 4 portraits The Beatles, Avedon, Psychedelic, Pop Art, Rock Band, Music 1967
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Set of 4 portraits The Beatles, by Richard Avedon in 1967. Artist: Avedon Richard Title: Beatles – Set of four portraits Date: 1967 Size (w x h): 18.9 ...
Paper
1954 Rear Window Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Widely ranked as one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest films and among the greatest of all time, "Rear Window" was released in 1954. The film marked the second collaboration between the...
Linen, Paper
Psychedelic 1967 Poster by Nancy Conner
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A colorful and bright vintage psychedelic poster declaring " Love Is Where It's At " picturing a imp floating in the air . Designed by Nan...
Paper
1980s Italian Modern Art Collage Poster created by Angela Trapani
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
1980s Italian Modern Art Lithograpic poster created by Angela Trapani A collage poster by Italian artist Angela Trapani, created in the 1980s. Trapani’s work is distinguished by he...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Original Vintage French Theatre & Cabaret Poster 'Lido C’est Magnifique' Gruau
By René Gruau
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Condition Excellent Format Linen backed Dimensions 320 x 240 cm Artist Rene Gruau Year 1957
Paper, Linen
$550Sale Price|35% Off
Mid-Century Map of New York, Framed in Black Lacquered Wood
Located in Barcelona, ES
Mid-Century Map of New York, Framed in Black Lacquered Wood Beautiful mid-century printed map of New York, showcasing the city’s iconic grid and urban layout with vintage charm and ...
Paper
Original Vintage Travel Poster To London By Jet Clipper Pan American Airway
By Aaron Fine
Located in London, GB
Original vintage Pan American airways travel poster - To London by Jet Clipper Pan Am World's Most Experienced Airline - featuring a fantastic midcentury modern design depicting an iconic red double decker London bus approaching Piccadilly Circus with the conductor holding on to the pole by the back steps and reaching up to hold the ceiling strap-hanger formed as the O in London, the title text above on a blue background, with a city scene of buses driving by the historic Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain with its winged...
Paper
'Paris-Champagne' Original Vintage French Movie Poster, 1964
By Sinclare
Located in Devon, GB
Although the film itself is somewhat unknown, released only in France and the Netherlands, this stunning French Moyenne poster for the 1964 Pierre Armand melodrama 'Paris-Champagne' ...
Paper, Linen
School Wall Chart, Monaco
Located in Wolfurt, AT
MONACO(D) MONACO(DK) MONACO(E) MONACO(F) MONACO(GB) MONACO(I) MOMACO(NL) Foto: H. Hariz, Hamburg - Druck: Herder Druck Freiburg im Breisga Europa ET Schola Editio. Alphen aan...
Paper
Villemot, Original Vintage Poster, French Railway, Car Rental, Train, Key, 1971
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Original Vintage Poster created by Bernard Villemot in 1971 for the French Railway. Artist: Bernard Villemot Title: SNCF – Service Train + Auto – Location de voitures Date: 1971 Siz...
Paper
Original Vintage French 1960's Poster, 'Camping' by G. Nicolitch
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Artist G Nicolitch Year 1967 Dimensions 160 x 120cm Condition Good Format Linen backed. Sold unframed.
Linen, Paper
Original Vintage Australian Travel Poster, c. 1959 "Canada"
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
From the series on animals, commemorating Qantas’ inaugural round the world service in the 1950s. Qantas first issued this series as screen-prints in the 1950s, using a Constellation...
Paper
Original México 68 Poster – Field Hockey
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Printed by Industria y Comercio and Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad, circa 1968. We offer this Original México 68 Olympic poster representing the discipline of ...
Paper
$1,304Sale Price|20% Off
Original Concert Poster, American, Psychedelic Art, Berkeley Free Press, C.1970
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a vintage concert poster. An American, original advertisement handbill for Country Joe & The Fish et al, published by the Berkeley Free Press, dated to 1970. A striking examp...
Glass, Paper
Original Vintage Travel Poster, 'TWA Disney" c. 1955 by David Klein
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
This poster was created in 1955 for Howard Hughes’ Trans World Airlines promoting their routes to Disneyland in California, USA. Illustrated by American artist David Klein, this post...
Paper
First Edition Flying Eyball Jimi Hendrix Concert at The Fillmore Poster
By Rick Griffin
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT First edition. Jimi Hendrix Flying Eyeball concert poster, 1968 BG-105: "Flying Eyeball", first printing, Bill Graham Presents Jimi Hendrix Experience, John Mayall, and Albert...
Paper
Original Vintage Travel Advertising Poster Air France Naher Osten Near East Eric
Located in London, GB
Original vintage Near East travel advertising poster - Air France Naher Osten - featuring colourful artwork by Eric Castel (1915-1997) depicting an image of city domes and minarets w...
Paper