John Dickinson
American
1920, Berkeley, Bay Area
1982, San Francisco, Bay Area
In his illustrious yet short-lived career, San Francisco-based designer and decorator John Dickinson rarely felt limited by the purely functional aspects of design. Instead, he helped to create a world where inanimate objects such as tables, chairs, and lamps assumed a fanciful, anthropomorphic quality that eventually became his trademark.
After briefly attending Parsons School of Design, Dickinson worked for several display departments, furniture stores, and decorating firms in New York and California. He founded his own practice in San Francisco in 1956.
In 1977 Philip Schlein, then president and CEO of Macy's California, commissioned Dickinson to design his first full-scale furniture collection. Described by the New York Times as "deluxe and rarefied," the collection includes white lacquered bookcases that emulate skyscrapers, Roman-column nightstands that swivel to reveal shelving, and tables and lamps propped up by bone-like supports.
Works in the Collection
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John DickinsonGarage and French doors, second floor
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John DickinsonGarage and French doors, second floor
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John DickinsonElevations for Café Intermezzo, Davies
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John DickinsonElevations for Café Intermezzo, Davies
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John DickinsonElevations for Café Intermezzo, Davies
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John DickinsonDrawing for Carved Pine Chest
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John DickinsonDrawing for Carved Pine Chest
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John DickinsonFurniture Designs for J. Patrick Mahoney
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John DickinsonDrawing for Carved Wood Frame, Dickinson Firehouse, San Francisco
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John DickinsonBone Table Lamp
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John DickinsonChair
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John DickinsonStacking Chest
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John DickinsonChair
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John DickinsonBone Game Table
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John DickinsonBone floor lamp
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John DickinsonBone Cigarette Table
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John DickinsonGalvanized Metal Table
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John DickinsonLiving room furniture designs for Mrs. Phoebe Cowles
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John DickinsonSlab Drawers
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John DickinsonDecoupage Cabinet for Ralph du Casse
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