Demonstrating the profession

When the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) introduced television to the US market at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Americans could not have anticipated the future influx of television programming. ¹ Although it would take several years for television to develop into a widespread household commodity, savvy individuals recognized television for what it was and could be: a new medium through which to share their expertise with a popular audience. Indeed, in its first decade on the market, television became a novel stage for professionals, including interior decorators. ² Television’s inherently visual nature made it a promising, if sometimes challenging, platform for promulgating the profession. It could showcase interior decorators as experts and educators, introducing them to a large audience that might otherwise have had little contact with the field. Presenting the profession on the air enabled new modes of instruction, while demanding consideration of how to make the interior decorator’s role telegenic.