Axel Einar Hjorth, a 'Dagmar' secretaire, Nordiska Kompaniet, 1937.
Oak. Rectangular shape with a drop-leaf writing surface and an arrangement of drawers behind. Below are four drawers, two of which are larger with round knobs. Marked 'NK R40586-C34976'. Width 90, depth 45, height 100 cm.
Some wear. Marks. A strip is missing between a couple of the drawers on the inside. Minor wood loss. Keys included.
Axel Einar Hjorth's drawing for the secretary is in the NK ledger in the Nordic Museum's archive and is dated 20/4 1937. Client Nordström Grosh.
Axel Einar Hjorth is considered one of Sweden's most significant furniture designers during the 1920s and 30s. Hjorth's early employers included Svenska Möbelfabrikerna in Bodafors and the Stockholm Crafts Association. The big breakthrough came as chief architect for Nordiska Kompaniet, a position he took up in 1927 and held until 1938. Hjorth's first major assignment was the Nordiska Kompaniet's lavish stand at the World Exhibition in Barcelona in 1929, to then participate in several major international exhibitions during the following decade. In 1929, Hjorth also breaks new ground and designs the first series of rustic furniture in stained pine, the so-called sports cabin furniture that was named "Lovö", "Utö" and "Sandhamn" after the islands in the Stockholm archipelago.
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