Edgar William Brandt (1880 – 1960) was one of the leading French wrought iron craftsman of the Art Deco period. He used the traditional skills of the anvil and the hammer but also emerging technologies of the machine age such as torch welding and power hammers. He was an important influence on the development of the Art Deco style both in France and the USA.

A popular movement in the 1920s and 30s, promoted by Ruhlmann and other great Paris furniture manufacturers, and the big department stores. The style was influenced by Aztec and Egyptian design, the Ballets Russes, Hollywood musicals and the new ocean-going liners. It featured stepped and geometric designs, sunrays and chevrons.