The Bamboozler (Child's Clothes Tree)
Richard Neagle
1 of 3
Object Label
Like the Hang-It-All, The Bamboozler uses atom-derived, space-age shapes to “bamboozle” children into thinking that hanging up their clothing is fun. The designer, Richard Neagle, marketed The Bamboozler through magazine and newspaper ads that claimed: “Small fry might suppose it’s a convertible spaceship what with the revolving hat rack at the top. . . . [It] has been carefully designed so that your range rovers will find it quite a problem to knock it over.”
Caption
Richard Neagle (American, born 1922). The Bamboozler (Child's Clothes Tree), ca. 1953. Wood, metal, 44 1/8 x 18 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. (112.1 x 46.4 x 51.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred T. and Caroline S. Zoebisch Fund, 1993.6.
Designer
Title
The Bamboozler (Child's Clothes Tree)
Date
ca. 1953
Geography
Place manufactured: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium
Wood, metal
Classification
Dimensions
44 1/8 x 18 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. (112.1 x 46.4 x 51.4 cm)
Credit Line
Alfred T. and Caroline S. Zoebisch Fund
Accession Number
1993.6
Frequent Art Questions
We were wondering if this is a wardrobe?
It is a child's clothes tree and was whimsically called "The Bamboozler". It was designed around 1953 by Richard Neagle and uses atom-derived, space-age shapes to “bamboozle” children into thinking that hanging up their clothing is fun. Neagle marketed The Bamboozler through magazine and newspaper ads that claimed: “Small fry might suppose it’s a convertible spaceship what with the revolving hat rack at the top. . . . [It] has been carefully designed so that your range rovers will find it quite a problem to knock it over.”
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