Henry Dreyfuss and American industrial design.
Item
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Title
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Henry Dreyfuss and American industrial design.
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Identifier
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AAI9830705
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identifier
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9830705
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Creator
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Flinchum, Russell Alan.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Marlene Park
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Date
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1998
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Design and Decorative Arts | Art History | Architecture | Biography
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Abstract
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Henry Dreyfuss (1904-1972) was one of the pioneers of the industrial design profession in the United States. A native of New York City, he attended public schools in Manhattan until he was offered a scholarship by the Society for Ethical Culture, allowing him to attend the Society's High School for his last two years of formal education. Afterward he worked as a student-apprentice to Norman Bel Geddes, a major figure in the establishment of industrial design in the late 1920s. After leaving Bel Geddes's office, Dreyfuss began producing stage shows and by the end of the 1920s had made the transition to the Broadway theater. In 1929, he opened an office for industrial design on West 48th Street; among his first employees was Doris Marks, his business manager who also became his wife. Dreyfuss's early designs focused on articles intended for mass production. By the second half of the 1930s, Dreyfuss could point with pride to a client list that would retain his services for decades to come: among others, Bell Telephone Laboratories, Deere & Co., Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, and the New York Central Railroad. Wartime work for the U.S. Government and Armed Forces included the Situation Room for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the redesign of a 105mm anti-aircraft gun. Out of this wartime environment grew his and his colleagues' interest in what would become known as human factors (ergonomics), which emphasized the interface between man and machine and the assemblage of accurate information on human dimensions. Post-war work was diverse, while restricted to an average of fifteen major clients in any given year: Dreyfuss insisted on being able to personally supervise the work undertaken by his two offices. In 1969 he turned control of the firm over to Bill Purcell, Jim Conner, Niels Diffrient, and Don Genaro. These men were the new partners in Henry Dreyfuss Associates, which began a new era in 1969 when the founder left to pursue personal interests as a corporate consultant and, with Doris Marks and other assistants, to compile his last major contribution to the profession, the Symbol Sourcebook (1972).
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
