I am going in now for interior decoration. By that I mean supplying objets d'art and giving advice regarding the decoration of their houses to wealthy persons who do not have the time inclination, nor culture to do such work for themselves. It is nothing new. Women have done the same thing before.

Elsie de Wolfe is a 20th-century legend. Her name is familiar to many who practice the art of interior design or who are linked to the fashionable world of tastemaking. She played a key role in the formation of the modern American interior decorating profession, which provided appropriate settings for the new rich in the first half of the 20th century. In the process, she also helped to shape our understanding of what we have come to know as the modern domestic interior.

This large format, profusely illustrated book covers 29 individual projects and concludes with a timeline of her works. Written by English decorative arts scholar Penny Sparke and edited by New York Times contributor Mitchell Owens, Elsie de Wolfe: The Birth of Modern Interior Decoration presents the most in-depth look ever into the design aesthetic of this early 20th century master decorator.

Not available for purchase