Edward Wormley | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1907 Oswego, Illinois United States |
| Died | November 3, 1995 (aged 87) Norwalk, Connecticut United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Partner | Edward Crouse |
| Design |
|
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Edward J Wormley (December 31, 1907 – November 3, 1995) was an American designer of modern furniture.
Early life
Wormley contracted polio in early childhood, preventing him from walking until he was five and leaving him with a lifelong limp. He lived in Rochelle, Illinois, where at the age of twelve he met eleven-year-old Edward C. Crouse, who would become his lifelong partner. The two became close friends, and as teenagers they entered into a sexual relationship [1]
Wormley and Crouse maintained a frequent and affectionate correspondence when Crouse left for college in 1925, calling each other "dear heart", discussing "passionate encounters", and planning their future life. "We’ll have to wait, though," Crouse wrote in one letter, "until we're (heavens, I almost wrote 'married'!) living together." Around Christmas of that year, the young couple told their families about their relationship.[1]
Design career
In 1926, Wormley briefly studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, but had to leave after three terms due to financial issues.[1] He began work as an interior designer for Marshall Fields & Company department store. During the Depression, Wormley was introduced to the president of the Dunbar Furniture Company of Berne, Indiana, who hired him to upgrade their product line.[2]
Wormley and Crouse continued their frequent correspondence through the 1930s and early 1940s. The relationship was a rocky one: Wormley was frequently insecure, and Crouse struggled with his sexuality, often expressing disgust and despair, and spent periods "trying to be Regular". Nevertheless, the two consistently expressed deep affection for each other, and took long vacations together. They wrote to each other about their sexual encounters with other men, but insisted that their relationship was the most important one in their lives. By 1941, the two men were referring to each other as "husband" (Crouse) and "wife" (Wormley).[1]
In 1942, Wormley was the head of the furniture unit of the wartime Office of Price Administration. After leaving in 1944, he founded Edward Wormley and Associates, a design firm with Dunbar as its major client.[1] In 1944, Dunbar decided to focus strictly on Modern lines, and Wormley began incorporating European and Scandinavian innovations into his work. His eye for quality and the exacting craftsmanship at Dunbar made for furniture that was elegant, understated and exceptionally well-made. Wormley was never really at the forefront of Modern design. Instead, he took the best elements from classical, historical design and translated them into Modern vernacular. The result was furniture that was sophisticated, yet mainstream and very successful.[3]
Wormley and Crouse bought a house together in Weston, Connecticut in 1947, and remained there for the rest of their lives.[1]
Good Design Exhibitions
Wormley's inclusion in the Good Design Exhibitions staged by the Museum of Modern Art and the Merchandise Mart between 1950 and 1955 elevated him to a respected place alongside more cutting edge designers like Bertoia, Nelson and Eames. In 1938 MoMA launched an exhibit they called Useful Objects, in which they showcased “design intended for present-day life, in regard to usefulness, to production methods and materials and to the progressive taste of the day.”
In the wake of America’s postwar prosperity, the exhibit was later renamed Good Design and largely focused on modern furnishings.
The exhibit reopened in 1950 under the name Good Design with three of Edward Wormley’s works on display: an adjustable upholstered wood armchair, a “Short John” coffee table with laminated wood legs, and a “Repartee” gray carpet.
Wormley’s inclusion in the exhibit proved that traditional forms still had a place in the modern design movement. During the exhibit’s run thirty Wormley pieces were awarded Good Design designation, cementing him as a peer among other high-profile designers of the era. Wormley understood the essential elements of Modernism but never limited himself to one ideology.[4] His furniture represented a convergence of historical design and 20th century innovation that greatly appeals to today's collectors.
Wormley's tables
Wormley's occasional tables for Dunbar includes his tile-topped tables created as part of the Janus line in 1957 which were a partnership between Modern production design aesthetic and the tile traditions of Tiffany and Otto Natzler. Dining tables, stacking tables, and other occasional tables manufactured by Dunbar have been popular at auction but none have met with the success of these examples.
Retirement and death
Wormley retired in 1967, alongside Crouse, who had joined him in his design work. The couple frequently traveled together until Crouse's death from cancer in 1975. Wormley lived until 1995, when he died after two heart attacks. He was buried with his parents in Oswego, Illinois.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ibson, John (22 October 2019). Men without Maps: Some Gay Males of the Generation before Stonewall. University of Chicago Press. pp. 33–63. ISBN 978-0-226-65611-3.
- ↑ "Guide to the Edward J Wormley and Edward Crouse Papers". Cornell University Library. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ↑ Reif, Rita (8 November 1995). "Edward Wormley, 87, Designer Of Modern Residential Furniture". The New York Times.
- ↑ andrew@liberty33rd.com (2022-03-10). "LIBERTY And 33RD". Retrieved 2023-07-18.
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Further reading
- Marie FERRAN-WABBES, Wormley - Dunbar. Edward J Wormley (1907 - 1995). Design Director of Dunbar Furniture, translated from French by Caroline SUNDERLAND-DE MOUBRAY, Paris, 2017, 117 pp. ISBN 978-1981874583