Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was born in Vienna at a time of great artistic ferment.  He was trained as an architect and influenced by the artists of the Vienna Secession (Gustav Klimt, Josef Olbrich, Josef Hoffmann), as well as by the architect Adolf Loos.  He immigrated to the United States in 1912 to become the art director of the Boston Opera.  In 1914 he moved to New York and for the next two decades his studio was a major theatrical presence, designing productions for New York theaters, the Ziegfeld Follies and the Metropolitan Opera.  By the time of his death in 1933, he had designed over 500 stage sets for more than 168 productions, many of which he also directed.  More ...

(The background image is from the set model entitled "Roof of Apartment House in Heart of Manhattan," in Act I of Flying High, which opened March 3, 1930, produced by George White and staring Bert Lahr.)