The 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris served as a catalyst in recasting the direction of the Gorham Manufacturing Company and its design staff, which that year included its leading Modern designer, Danish émigré Erik Magnussen. Gorham hired Magnussen, who came to Providence from Copenhagen in 1925, to infuse a strong dose of modernism into their product lines. Magnussen developed his style in the same artistic circle as Georg Jensen, and his early works for Gorham were in the vein of contemporary Danish silver design. 

Magnussen’s most memorable and radical creation positioned Gorham in the vanguard of modern design among American silver firms. Resplendent with a gleaming surface of sterling, gold, and dark-patinated silver triangular facets, the designer’s Cubic Coffee Service was a three-dimensional manifestation of Cubism. The service caused an immediate sensation when it was displayed in the company’s Fifth Avenue showroom. Described by Gorham as being “…based on tall buildings seen from various perspectives and from sun shadows on set-back skyscrapers,” the set was hailed “The Lights and Shadows of Manhattan” by the New York Times.