24/1993
Collection
Furniture
Brief description
Penguin Donkey Mark II bookcase made from white painted plywood, originally designed by Egon Riss and Jack Pritchard in 1939 and re-designed by Ernest Race in 1963, distributed through Isokon.
Title
Penguin Donkey Mark II
Object name
bookcase
Object number
24/1993
Production person
Ernest Race (designer)
Production organisation
Isokon (distributor)
Production date
1963 (designed)
Production place
England (designed)
Period
Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Material
plywood
Physical description
This free-standing plywood bookshelf comprises two individual shelving units positioned back to back and joined with a flat horizontal piece of plywood. Each shelving unit is subdivided once vertically and once horizontally to form three compartments. It stands on two pairs of legs. The upper part is painted white.
Dimensions
Height: 39.8cm
Width: 43.2cm
Depth: 34.1cm
Width: 43.2cm
Depth: 34.1cm
Website keywords
Decoration and furnishings
furniture
storage
furniture
storage
Label
Caption for Exploring 20th Century London website:
This small bookcase, known as the 'Penguin Donkey', was made by the firm Isokon in London. The original version, designed in 1939, was made to contain the recently issued Penguin paperbacks. The donkey's 'panniers' are exactly the right size to hold the books, and magazines could be slotted into the central gap. Production was halted because of the onset of World War 2 with only a small number having been made, all of which were sold quickly. In1963 Isokon had the donkey re-designed by Ernest Race and re-issued it as the Donkey Mark II, which is the version you see here. The firm Isokon was founded in London by Jack Prichard who lived at the famous modernist flats in Lawn Road, Hampstead.
This small bookcase, known as the 'Penguin Donkey', was made by the firm Isokon in London. The original version, designed in 1939, was made to contain the recently issued Penguin paperbacks. The donkey's 'panniers' are exactly the right size to hold the books, and magazines could be slotted into the central gap. Production was halted because of the onset of World War 2 with only a small number having been made, all of which were sold quickly. In1963 Isokon had the donkey re-designed by Ernest Race and re-issued it as the Donkey Mark II, which is the version you see here. The firm Isokon was founded in London by Jack Prichard who lived at the famous modernist flats in Lawn Road, Hampstead.
-
© Museum of the Home, London