The Jugendstil Dove
The theme for “Looking Close on Friday” for the 30th of September is “things with wings”. This sounds easy, but the rule is that for this challenge, you are not allowed to use real animals as your subject. Luckily for me, being a collector, I live in a house full of many wonderful and interesting objects and antiques. For me it was just a matter of choosing which thing with wings I wanted to photograph. Anyone who follows my photostream, or knows me, knows that I love Art Nouveau. It is my favourite design movement. Recently I acquired a Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF) Art Nouveau calling card tray from the first decade of the Twentieth Century. It features a beautiful and sinuous woman standing over it, holding a pole in her hands, and upon the pole sits a little dove. Therefore, I decided to make this the focus of my choice for this week’s theme. You can see the bird clearly, and although blurred into the background, you can catch the essence of what my Art Nouveau calling card tray lady looks like. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile.
Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF) was originally called Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer and was opened as a metal repairing workshop. Through mergers and acquisitions, by 1900 they were the world's largest producer and exporter of household metalware, mainly in the Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau style, designed in the WMF Art Studio under Albert Mayer, sculptor and designer, who was director from 1884 to 1914. In 1880 after Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer merged with another German company, it was renamed as the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik. WMF acquired the Polish metalware factory Plewkiewicz in Warsaw in 1886, which then became a subsidiary of WMF around 1900. During this period, the WMF employed over three and a half thousand people. In 1890 they acquired the Kunstanstalt für Galvanoplastik München, which specialized in electrotyping and electroforming of statues and statuettes for buildings, fountains, tombstones, and gardens; this became the Abteilung für Galvanoplastik (Galvanoplastic Division) of WMF. In 1900, WMF acquired Albert Köhler's famous Austrian metalwork company AK & CIE, who produced and distributed WMF items under their mark to the Austro-Hungarian market until about 1914. WMF purchased Orivit AG, a company known for its Jugendstil pewter in 1905, followed a year later by the purchase of the Orion Kunstgewerbliche Metallwarenfabrik, another German metalware company. WMF continued to use the goods from the acquired companies on their own markets, and conversely, they produced and distributed their objects under their acquired companies brands. WMF still exists to this day, and produces mostly stylised cutlery.
The Jugendstil Dove
The theme for “Looking Close on Friday” for the 30th of September is “things with wings”. This sounds easy, but the rule is that for this challenge, you are not allowed to use real animals as your subject. Luckily for me, being a collector, I live in a house full of many wonderful and interesting objects and antiques. For me it was just a matter of choosing which thing with wings I wanted to photograph. Anyone who follows my photostream, or knows me, knows that I love Art Nouveau. It is my favourite design movement. Recently I acquired a Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF) Art Nouveau calling card tray from the first decade of the Twentieth Century. It features a beautiful and sinuous woman standing over it, holding a pole in her hands, and upon the pole sits a little dove. Therefore, I decided to make this the focus of my choice for this week’s theme. You can see the bird clearly, and although blurred into the background, you can catch the essence of what my Art Nouveau calling card tray lady looks like. I hope you like my choice for the theme, and that it makes you smile.
Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF) was originally called Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer and was opened as a metal repairing workshop. Through mergers and acquisitions, by 1900 they were the world's largest producer and exporter of household metalware, mainly in the Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau style, designed in the WMF Art Studio under Albert Mayer, sculptor and designer, who was director from 1884 to 1914. In 1880 after Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer merged with another German company, it was renamed as the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik. WMF acquired the Polish metalware factory Plewkiewicz in Warsaw in 1886, which then became a subsidiary of WMF around 1900. During this period, the WMF employed over three and a half thousand people. In 1890 they acquired the Kunstanstalt für Galvanoplastik München, which specialized in electrotyping and electroforming of statues and statuettes for buildings, fountains, tombstones, and gardens; this became the Abteilung für Galvanoplastik (Galvanoplastic Division) of WMF. In 1900, WMF acquired Albert Köhler's famous Austrian metalwork company AK & CIE, who produced and distributed WMF items under their mark to the Austro-Hungarian market until about 1914. WMF purchased Orivit AG, a company known for its Jugendstil pewter in 1905, followed a year later by the purchase of the Orion Kunstgewerbliche Metallwarenfabrik, another German metalware company. WMF continued to use the goods from the acquired companies on their own markets, and conversely, they produced and distributed their objects under their acquired companies brands. WMF still exists to this day, and produces mostly stylised cutlery.