CATALOG

Carin Goldberg, ever on the lookout for useful images for her graphic projects, acquired a mail-order catalog dated winter 1951 to 1952. This two-pound "wish book" offered Americans everything they could ever need or hope to acquire.

Here, Goldberg noted, were consumer goods presented as icons: brassieres and girdles were wonders of engineering, water heaters displayed as if they were pieces of sculpture-hundreds of pages of clothes and appliances and tools elevated to stellar status. In this very personal selection of more than 60 of these images, she prompts one to wonder about the objects themselves, how they are presented, what they meant then and what they mean now. The images she has chosen are pure forms, minimally decorative, juxtaposed to suggest further associations and ideas. The curve of a bodice mirrors the stitched seam of a basketball; a ceiling light's contours echo those of a flowing skirt.

Isolated from any sales description, these pieces are seductive and alluring in a completely unexpected way. An introduction by curator Dorothy Twining Globus forms a context for these images, both past and present.

Catalog is a jewel to hold, peruse, and enjoy. The book's stunning design features a specialty binding; the front cover is embellished simply by a custom metal plate bearing the title.

CARIN GOLDBERG is one of the most respected graphic designers working today. Her book jacket designs for clients such as Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Time Warner have twice earned her publishing's Literary Marketplace Award. Her work also has appeared in museum exhibitions and design publications, including Novum and Graphis.

DOROTHY TWINING GLOBUS is a renowned curator of fashion, design, and architecture who established her reputation at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York. From 1992 through 2000, she served as director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.