Meant to accompany a series of tables that Walter von Nessen created around 1930, this streamlined lamp illustrates America’s shift to a modern aesthetic during the 1930s. Von Nessen championed the use of metal as an appropriate material to capture the look and spirit of the modern age. The object’s sleek lines convey standardized manufacturing, and its exposed hardware is characteristic of industrial fabrication. The lamp’s silver finish and added vertical strip of ebony give it a sumptuous quality.