19th Mar 2021
Frankart Art Deco Lady Bookends History
UPDATE: SOLD!
Frankart Bookends History
Courtesy of justcollecting.com
Arthur Frankenberg began designing and producing bookends in New York City in 1921. In 1924, he established the company Frankart Inc. After a dispute with his partners, he left the company in 1930, and established Quoizel Metal Art Company. He took some designs with him, placing them on bases made of marble or onyx to conceal the Frankart maker’s mark they were already stamped with. However, Quoizel closed after less than a year, in 1931. Frankart closed in 1935.
Frankenberg’s bookends were classic Art Deco designs, simplistic, typically modern, with beautiful contours and lines. They were made of metal, usually brass, or cast aluminum with a brass patina or bronze finish.
There is a large collecting market for vintage Frankart bookends, among both bookend collectors and Art Deco collectors.
The fact that they were only produced for a very short time makes them scarce and desirable. The designs that Frankenberg took with him from Frankart to Quoizel are particularly rare, such as the Scotty Dog and Retro Scotty.
Genuine Frankart bookends will be signed Frankart Inc Pat Applied For, or the rare designs that Frankenberg took with him when he left, are simply marked Quoizel.
LifeXplore Frankart Bookend
The Frankart bookends came to our LifeXplore collection through family.
The pair was in the grandparents' home that was built in 1910. The bookends were in the rec room until the house was cleared out in 1988.
At that time, the pair became part of our personal collection. As of this post, the Nude Lady Frankart bookends are up for sale on both our website and some other platforms.