Modern Gothic: The Inventive Furniture of Kimbel and Cabus. 1863 - 1882

Kimbel and Cabus were among the most progressive design reformers of their time. Modern Gothic is the first publication to explore the timeless American immigrant success story of the trailblazing New York City design team who captured national attention with their imaginative furniture forms and defined a significant aesthetic in the United States.

Kimbel and Cabus produced an amazing variety of modern gothic furniture and worked in a panoply of styles to satisfy the broadest range of markets. They also produced one of the first photographic catalogues for use as a selling tool. Their remarkable story is painstakingly reconstructed using primary sources to illuminate the importance of this progressive company as illustrated through period documents including advertisements, city directories, census and credit reports, and other printed materials alongside new photography.

Medill Higgins Harvey is associate curator of American decorative arts and manager of the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
 

Barbara Veith is an independent scholar and curator for decorative arts at the Brookly Museum.