‘Manhattan’ Cocktail Set by Norman Bel Geddes, 1935

Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958)

A sleek, Modernist ‘Manhattan’ cocktail set designed by American industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes for Revere in 1935. The cocktail tray, with satin chrome finish and a polished, stepped edge, has a strong architectural aesthetic, and features the tall ‘Manhattan Skyscraper’ cocktail shaker with four matching, slim-stemmed cocktail goblets. The set is completed by four similarly highly polished, ‘Manhattan’ stepped candlesticks, and a chrome REVERE bottle opener.

This iconic Art Deco design was the first created in collaboration with Revere, and examples feature in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the Brooklyn Museum.

Size of tray: 14½ x 11½ inches (37 x 29 cm)
Height of shaker: 13½ inches (34 cm)
Height of goblets: 4½ inches (11 cm)

Reference: ‘The Cocktail Shaker’ by Simon Khachadourian, p.111. published in 2000.

Norman Bel Geddes was an industrial and theatrical set designer who opened his design studio in New York in 1927. Amongst many achievements during the ensuing 30 years, he is known for his futuristic designs, including a tear-drop shaped car, classic Art Deco-styled radios, and the original ‘Futurama’ concept at the General Motors Pavilion in the 1939 World’s Fair. In 1940, in the same style, he conceived ‘The Metropolis City of 1960’ and even designed the casing for IBM’s ‘No.1 Computer’ which was presented to Harvard University in 1940.

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