Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco
Now on View
This special exhibition is included with admission and does not require a separate ticket.
Step into the story, indulge in the glamour
Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco explores the dynamic designs that came out of the rebellious years of 1920–1933. This exhibition invites you into two distinct spaces occupied by a progressive Prohibition-era woman we’ve called Mabel: her boudoir and a speakeasy. Explore the Art Deco objects that filled these rooms and how they speak to a time of freedom and change.
Art Deco Style
American Art Deco design is often exemplified by geometric motifs or stylized and simplified forms with a new emphasis on color.
Setting the Scene
Women won the right to vote in 1920, Prohibition became the law of the land that same year and wouldn’t be repealed until the end of 1933. The Great War (WWI) was over and in 1929 the Great Depression began.
American women were enjoying more independence inside and outside the home. Cutting hair into a chic bob, wearing rouge on lips and cheeks, hosting cocktail parties, and publicly consuming alcohol and tobacco all reinforced what it meant to be a modern woman. American designers and manufacturers responded to these societal changes with fashionable perfume atomizers & vanity sets and drinking & smoking accessories in the latest styles.
Tours
There are two tour opportunities available in addition to exploring the exhibition on your own:
- The best way to experience the exhibition is with our 20-minute audio tour on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Consider bringing your headphones.
- Dive deeper with a docent or staff-led Art Deco Private Guided Tour, covering both permanent collection Art Deco Gallery 6 and Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco. Must be reserved in advance, subject to docent availability.
Object Information
The almost 200 objects in the exhibition are all American made and were designed between 1920 and 1933, the years of Prohibition. All objects are part of the permanent collection of Kirkland Museum unless otherwise noted. The clothing and jewelry are a generous loan from History Colorado.
There are two ways to learn more about each piece:
- On Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
- In magazines in the boudoir and menus in the speakeasy. View and download PDFs by clicking on each image.
