In this guide I will explain what Art Deco really is as far as items and goods for sale are concerned, and set the record straight for the many sellers out there who abuse the term knowingly and unknowingly. This is a guide for the buyer as well to help the buyer understand what IS and IS NOT Art Deco. Daily I see the term used blindly and ignorantly to describe items that are quite truthfully NOT Art Deco things. Sellers need to know what they are REALLY selling, and buyers have a right to know what they are REALLY buying. It is a sad testament to the lack of integrity and/or the ignorance of many of the sellers that I should even have to write this guide, but here it is... Also, I will preface this guide with the information that my wife and I are professionals, and we specialize in the identification of designs/styles of the various periods and eras. She especially as she is a professional artist who not only teaches this very subject at colleges and high schools, but also consults, (along with me), to corporations and private collectors.

Art Deco is a term used to describe the social movement during the twenty year period, from 1919 to 1939. The term movement is used because not just one or a few, but all apsects of life and society and design were affected. Art, music, architecture, furniture, clothing, jewelry, color, form etc., were all influenced accordingly. So, now you ask 'what does this have to do with Ebay and how does it affect my listings and/or what I buy?'. Well, since you asked.... The Art Deco movement lasted in the US for about twenty years; slightly longer in Eurpoe as it started there several years earlier, and later reached the US. This is how it affects everyone here on Ebay: The movement ran strong for twenty years. Then, with the onset of WWII, the movement died abruptly and firmly. Gone, dead, kaput! The war occupying the minds of everyone and the scarcity of general resources, people moved to a more pragmatic and frugal approach to everything including design. The machine age continued, but Deco was done. Yes, it is that simple. So, the design of all things Art Deco in style ceased. Yes, as always occurs at the end of an era, there were a few hold overs for a very short time. And yes, there were the very few and unsuccessful attempts to revive the movement in the years ahead. But on the whole, it was gone, given over immediately after the war to the Eames family, Noguchi, and their colleagues who ushered in the atomic/modern age in the late 1940s - early 1950s. So, the point is that only items which were made during the actual twenty year period of Art Deco can or should be called Art Deco.

Art Deco was influenced by many different styles and forms, all brought together in a unique way. Here is where most sellers run into trouble, (though they either don't know, or don't care). The elements of design and style that make up Art Deco exsisted for many years, and even decades and centuries before they all came together. However, they were not Art Deco styles on their own. It was only the unique combination of those elements that created the Deco style. And, those same individual style elements have and will continue to be used in designs in the present and future. But the use and appearance of those design styles in things made after the Art Deco period DO NOT make the item or items in anyway Art Deco. As I have stated, they exsisted before and they continue to exsist after the actual Deco Period. But they are NOT Deco in and of themselves, nor does their use make them so. It is simple, the Art Deco era lasted for some twenty years, and only things actually produced during that period can fairly and honestly be called Art Deco.

Now, for the sellers out there, be honest and show some real integrity in your listings. If you cannot truly identify and prove an item is from the actual period of Art Deco, then do not call it Art Deco. To do so would be inappropriate and misleading to the buyer, not to mention dishonest on your part. And for those of you who are buyers, keep in mind that if the item is not from AFTER 1918, or BEFORE 1940, then it quite frankly is NOT an Art Deco item no matter what the seller says. Yes, there will be things that bear a resemblance to Deco, but that does NOT make them so. An item may be 'Deco Like', or perhaps even 'Deco Style', but they are only truly Art Deco if they were made during that time!