useful precisely when the quest for a perfectly delineated "style" yields to an appreciation of the volatility that characterized early twentieth-century design. Much as the eclectic design of the nineteenth century served as a medium in which very different inspirations and creeds could influence one another, art deco in the 192os and 1930s proved to be a middle range between antagonistic ideologies. In particular, it served as an important channel between radical and traditionalist design responses to twentieth-century challenges. I consider art deco to be a movement that drew