The rise and fall of American Art Deco coincide neatly with the brief, but glorious, heyday of the Chase Brass & Copper Co.’s Specialty division. Gleaming Chase housewares of chrome, brass, and copper brightened many homes during the Depression years of the 1930s, thanks to the talents of such leading industrial designers as Lurelle Guild, Walter Von Nessen, Russel Wright, and Harry Laylon. The Chase Era presents in full the company’s first (1933) and final (1942) Specialties catalogs, illustrating the development of Deco design as represented by the Chase inventory. Also included are newly discovered pre-1933 Chase flyers, showing previously unseen Chase Specialties! Introductory comments focus on the whys and wherefores of Art Deco’s short reign, and the place of Chase in the Deco continuum. With a current price guide and full inventory information, The Chase Era truly provides the first and last words on Chase Specialties.
