Baldwin Kingrey: Midcentury Modern in Chicago, 1947–1957

Wright, Chicago; 123 pages

Editor, 2004

This book was the first illustrated account of Baldwin Kingrey, a pioneer of the high-design/low-price retail strategy and the first publishing effort by distinguished Chicago auction house Wright. Architect Harry Weese, his wife, Kitty Baldwin Weese, and friend Jody Kingrey started Baldwin Kingrey to bring affordable Scandinavian designs to postwar America. Soon Baldwin Kingrey was shaping the way Americans bought furniture. With wares by Aalto, Bertoia and Eames, the store quickly acquired status as a laboratory for an A-list roster of design talent. The book features 100 photographs, quotes by Ms. Weese and Ms. Kingrey, and text by John Brunetti.

“Documents a compelling chapter in the history of design and the history of Chicago.”—Chicago Tribune