Consuming Modernism: Erich Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, and the Museum of Modern Art

Masculinist histories of modern architecture have shied away from acknowledging the degree to which it was a fashion and, as such, successfully marketed to women, often by other women. Considering the contribution of House Beautiful to its reception in the United States begins to redress interpretations that also marginalize men, such as Erich Mendelsohn, who primarily designed building types, such as department stores and cinemas, frequented predominantly by women. In particular it challenges the primacy of Museum of Modern Art to a development for which it should instead share generous credit with female journalists writing in the shelter press and in the arts pages of daily newspapers. Acknowledging the role of these women as tastemakers also challenges us to understand what about the new style appealed to their readers.

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Scientific organization: Marieke von Bernstorff

_{Image caption: Cover, House Beautiful, Maurice Day, January 1927}