Normandie Pitcher

Designer Peter Müller-Munk (active in America, 1904-1967)

Manufacturer Revere Copper and Brass Incorporated (American)

DateDesigned 1935, manufactured 1935-1941

Dimensions12 x 9 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (30.5 x 24.1 x 7.0 cm)

MediumChrome-plated brass

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1991.86

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 29

Label TextThe sleek lines, slant, sharp angles, and even the name of this pitcher are intended to suggest the smokestacks of the French luxury ocean liner S. S. Normandie, which launched the year that this pitcher was designed (1935). The vessel’s resemblance to the Normandie, a symbol of progress as the largest and fastest passenger ship of its time, is a particularly appealing example of the streamlined aesthetic of American industrial design in the 1930s with its evocation of the speed and excitement of modern life.Published ReferencesGatto, Joseph A., Exploring visual design: the elements and principles, Worcester, Davis Publications, 2000, no. 8-2, p. 154, repr. (col.) (also in 4th ed.).