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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 10:59 pm  

Not everything is as it is seems. Some designs are described as “in-house” designs.  Of course, that doesn’t mean they magically appear on the factory floor one day; someone had to draft them too, so the craftsmen would know what to make.  The standard assumption is that this draftsperson is not a designer to be advertised, and certainly not a designer with a name that could be worth advertising.  I am going to challenge that notion directly in this thread.   The conclusion I propose is that what “in-house” design means—at least sometimes in the Danish furniture industry—related not to the actual creative process, the drafting of a design, but to the contractual, financial, and advertising context of the design.  Let us also get this clear from the outset: I do not consider this license to invent design credits for “in-house” designs.  Documentation is needed, but I believe that in at least some cases this documentation does exist.   


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:00 pm  

France and Søn Jupiter
Jupiter is a relatively unknown design and not very frequently seen.  As you can see from this catalog photo, the design is not credited to a designer.  It is an in-house design dating to the mid 1960s. 


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:02 pm  

(The caption)


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:02 pm  

Yet here is a Mobilia page from 1967, courtesy of Jesgord on this forum, crediting the design to none other than Finn Juhl.  Given the stature of Mobilia, and the great number of design credits that are documented by Mobilia, this is strong proof that Finn Juhl is the secret “in-house” designer of Jupiter.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:03 pm  

France and Søn Great Dane Groups, models 127 & 128 and 167 & 168
This is the example that is near and dear to my heart.  Simon (of the Danish-Homestore) has reported on this forum James France’s statement that the Great Dane series was “in-house” ( http://www.designaddict.com/forum/Identification/Grete-Jalk-or-Finn-Juhl).   And here is the France and Søn catalog showing the design uncredited, or “in-house”. 
 
(Great Dane Group models 127 and 128)


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:04 pm  

(Great Dane Group models 167 & 168)


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:05 pm  

Here is another France and Søn retailer’s catalog (Povl Dinesen) showing the design tersely credited to “France,” courtesy of Jesgord.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:06 pm  

(167 and 168 credited to "France")


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:07 pm  

(model 168 credited to Grete Jalk)


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:07 pm  

However, it appears that this is not the whole story.  This catalog from Ønskebo that was an authorized France and Søn representative, which I believe to be slightly later than the France and Søn and Povl Dinesen catalogs, credits the design of 167 & 168 to Grete Jalk.  (Note: look below for a couple of France and Søn advertisements with Ønskebo’s name outlined to prove it was an authorized representative of France and Søn)


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:08 pm  

And then there is this entry on the Danish Furniture Index, crediting the design of 128 to Grete Jalk, and note that the verification source is Grete Jalk herself via mail.
https://aleph-01.kb.dk/F/XK7XQAY86X82HSBDN9GL3RE3BJEB28NQFKF9S5PHBTNV819M5G-29162?func=full-set-set&set_number=076499&set_entry=000002&format=999


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:09 pm  

The only conclusion I can find is that the Great Dane group was an “in-house” design and the secret “in-house” designer was Grete Jalk. 
It would be very nice to see further documentation on this point.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:11 pm  

P. Jeppesen model 8, a Tea Cart
Here is a tea cart that is credited in this catalog from the mid 1960s to P. Jeppesen for his own company.  We would probably say, on this evidence, that he really is the designer of the piece. 


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:12 pm  

Yet here is a cart that has been labeled crediting Grete Jalk as the designer.  It is hard to imagine a reason to label the cart as a Grete Jalk design, unless it really is.  The conclusion is that this tea cart was an “in-house” design by Grete Jalk for P. Jeppesen.  



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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 5660
04/12/2014 11:13 pm  

JL Møller, models 55 & 71
This is a notorious example, first pointed out I believe by Howard Moon on this forum. JL Møller documents from the 1950s and into the early 1960s show this design as credited to Arne Hovmand Olsen.



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