Newly Refinished – Mid-Century Modern Walnut Highboy Dresser by Merton Gershun

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About the Item

With over 15 years of experience, our workshop has followed a careful process of restoration, showcasing our passion and creativity for vintage designs that can seamlessly be incorporated with many interior decors. Enjoy! 🙂Creator: Merton Gershun (Designer),American of Martinsville (Manufacturer)Dimensions: Height: 44 in (111.76 cm)Width: 38 in (96.52 cm)Depth: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Style: Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Brass,WalnutPlace of Origin: United StatesPeriod: 1950-1959Date of Manufacture: c.1950sCondition: ExcellentRefinished.Seller Location: Los Angeles, CAReference Number: 1stDibs: LU3014338795782Shop All Merton Gershun

Merton Gershun

In as early as the 1920s, American furniture designer Merton Gershun created popular bedroom suites and more for the likes of Shelbyville, Indianas Albert Distinctive Modern Furniture Company. Later, he partnered with Dillingham Manufacturing, which had offices in Wisconsin and Mississippi and collaborated with the likes of Arthur Umanoff and Pierre Cardin. The worlds growing population of mid-century modern furniture devotees, however, know Gershun as having been American of Martinsvilles most prolific designer. Vintage Merton Gershun dressers, side tables, bed frames and other pieces are widely collected today.

Founded in the early 1900s by former tobacco producers, American of Martinsville eventually became one of the best known furniture manufacturers in the United States. Besides quality manufacturing, American of Martinsville is additionally recognized for having incorporated the day’s trends in its designs. Inspired by designers like George Nakashima and Paul Laszlo, the brand was also known for innovations with wood.

Working with walnut and ebonized mahogany and integrating decorative flourishes such as brass drawer pulls into his dressers and cane door fronts on his cabinets Gershun designed numerous furniture lines for the company, including Dilettante, Fortissimo and others. The designers Dania collection, with its sleek walnut credenzas fitted with stylish brass accents and large drawers, has enjoyed popularity all over the world.

Gershun was passionate about bringing stylish pieces to American families but was also focused on affordability. His Harlequin line for American of Martinsville the print ads for which read SCULPTURED and BUDGET-PRICED in bolded all-caps text included bedroom and dining room furnishings in solid walnut. For Dillingham, Gershun designed the similarly well-received Esprit and Samara lines as well as other collections.

Gershun was particularly interested in creating furniture for small spaces and for postwar homeowners on a modest budget. He was a big proponent of incorporating international influences into his designs he drew inspiration from Asia and created chinoiserie-style dressers in bleached walnut supported by ebonized wood bases. To Gershun, modern design was more than clean lines and sharp angles: it was about utility as well as beauty.

Find vintage Merton Gershun case pieces, tables, bedroom furniture and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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American of Martinsville

American of Martinsville is today revered as one of the finest manufacturers of mid-century modern furniture in the United States, but its beginnings were unexpectedly humble.

Well ahead of the Civil War, tobacco was a cash crop in places such as Virginia, and the plant was grown with frequency on farms in Martinsville and elsewhere. In the early 1900s, the business around tobacco was changing and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was expanding nationally, buying any Virginia factories in reach. Former tobacco producers Ancil Witten and Charles Keesee turned away from the business in 1906 and, with merely $30,000 in capital (and the support of local business leaders), began to manufacture bedroom furniture under the name American Furniture Company.

In the 1920s, American Furniture Company expanded its offerings from bedroom furnishings. Alongside tallboy dressers and nightstands, Witten and Keesees outfit began to offer a range of dining-room sets to the discerning customer. By the 1950s, the name had been changed to American of Martinsville and the brand had gained a reputation for exquisite craftsmanship as well as its variety of furniture styles (Hollywood Regency, chinoiserie).

Mass-marketed furniture meant big business in the postwar years and throughout the 20th century in Virginia, and factories owned by companies like Bassett Furniture and American of Martinsville remained busy as suburbanites bought furniture to fill the homes they were moving into.

It isnt difficult to spot American of Martinsvilles sturdy, solid designs the lacquered walnut nightstands, mahogany coffee tables and more have long earned the admiration of mid-century modernism enthusiasts. The companys high profile also owes to prominent attributes that distinguish its well-made vintage furniture, such as the use of wooden slats inspired by Scandinavian modernism on hutches and cabinet doors, the famous brass xs inlaid on the tops of tables and dressers and the stately stacked type of the American of Martinsville logo, which usually appears in drawer interiors. The stamp prominently features an eagle perched atop the lettering, its broad wings spread across the American portion.

Besides quality manufacturing, American of Martinsville is additionally recognized for having incorporated the trends of the day.

Inspired by designers like George Nakashima and Paul Laszlo, the brand was also known for innovations with wood. Merton Gershun was one of the companys most prolific designers, and he was responsible for some of its most successful modern furniture lines using the richer, darker woods that would become emblematic of mid-century furniture. Gershuns most popular line was reportedly Dania, with its sleek walnut credenzas fitted with stylish brass accents and large drawers. Today, American of Martinsville specializes in furniture for the healthcare and hospitality industries.

Shop a wide selection of vintage American of Martinsville mid-century modern sideboards, side tables and more on 1stDibs.