Herter Brothers

The firm of Herter Brothers, New York, (working 1864 – 1906), founded by Gustave and Christian Herter, expanding from an upholstery warehouse, became one of the first firms of interior decorators in the United States after the Civil War; with their own design office and cabinet-making and upholstery workshops, Herter Brothers were prepared to accomplish every aspect of interior furnishing including decorative panelling and mantels, wall and ceiling decoration, patterned floors and carpets and draperies.

Related Topics:
New York - 1864 - 1906 - Interior decorator

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The firm was at the forefront of the panoply of furnishing styles that preceded the Mission style: Neo-Grec, Eastlake Renaissance, the "Aesthetic" ebonized "Anglo-Japanese" furnishings of the 1880s for which the firm is best recognized today, and the wide range of furnishings in revival styles required for Beaux-Arts houses.

Related Topics:
Mission style - Eastlake Renaissance - Beaux-Arts

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Among their most prominent clients were the Vanderbilts. Between 1879 and 1882, Herter Brothers decorated William Henry Vanderbilt's new Fifth Avenue mansion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At 634 Fifth Avenue, in 1880–1882, they decorated the mansion of Darius Ogden Mills, on the site of part of Rockefeller Center now occupied by the colossal bronze Atlas. Their bills came to $450,000 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_5_161/ai_85919773. At the same time they were furnishing the nearby Jay Gould residence at 579 Fifth Avenue, at Forty-seventh Street.

Related Topics:
Rockefeller Center - Jay Gould

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An exhibition "Herter Brothers: Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age," was presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1995. Its catalogue is Katherine S. Howe et al., Herter Brothers: Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age (Harry N. Abrams, New York, in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1994)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~