This portiere represents the important collection of Wheeler's work at the Museum. The majority of the thirty-six pieces the Museum owns were given by Wheeler's daughter in 1928, at a time when her contribution to the field of design was largely forgotten. In recent years the extraordinary work of this pioneering figure has been the focus of much interest. Wheeler began her professional career after raising a large family; at age fifty-two she became a partner with of Louis Comfort Tiffany and two others in Associated Artists, a short-lived (1879-83) but highly influential interior design firm. After leaving the partnership, Wheeler went on to form her own company, also called Associated Artists, which worked exclusively on designing and producing textiles for the home. This portiere was probably made during the early years of that firm. Interestingly, it is unfinished; the embroidered silk details that enliven the uppermost full-blown velvet tulips were never completed on the lower flowers. Perhaps a client, or Wheeler herself, decided not to include the piece in a decorating scheme. Wheeler's firm did not just produce expensive custom projects like this portiere; the majority of the pieces in the Museum's collection are printed and woven fabrics intended for the growing middle-class market.
cxd
<P>This portiere represents the important collection of Wheeler's work at the Museum. The majority of the thirty-six pieces the Museum owns were given by Wheeler's daughter in 1928, at a time when her contribution to the field of design was largely forgotten. In recent years the extraordinary work of this pioneering figure has been the focus of much interest. Wheeler began her professional career after raising a large family; at age fifty-two she became a partner with of Louis Comfort Tiffany and two others in Associated Artists, a short-lived (1879-83) but highly influential interior design firm. After leaving the partnership, Wheeler went on to form her own company, also called Associated Artists, which worked exclusively on designing and producing textiles for the home. This portiere was probably made during the early years of that firm. Interestingly, it is unfinished; the embroidered silk details that enliven the uppermost full-blown velvet tulips were never completed on the lower flowers. Perhaps a client, or Wheeler herself, decided not to include the piece in a decorating scheme. Wheeler's firm did not just produce expensive custom projects like this portiere; the majority of the pieces in the Museum's collection are printed and woven fabrics intended for the growing middle-class market.</P>
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