Design beginnings: Exhibit looks at the development of industrial design

Toledo, Ohio, suffers from ordinariness. Sitting hard along the crowded I-75 truck route and bounded by industry, people pass through Toledo on their way to somewhere—anywhere—else. So it might surprise you to learn the city was an innovative center of manufacturing design in the early 20th century. “The Alliance of Art and Industry: Toledo Designs for a Modern America” at the Toledo Museum of Art chronicles the important contributions the community made to the development of manufacturing design.

In the early 1900s, American design seemed to be an afterthought in product manufacture. Then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover turned down an invitation to showcase American design at the 1925 Paris Expo, saying there were no examples to be shown. But that would soon change, with Toledo assuming a prominent role in acknowledging the profession of industrial design. “The Alliance of Art and Industry” features 180 Toledo-made and -designed products, from glassware, toys and kitchen units, to spark plugs, gas pumps and automobiles.

When Willys-Overland set up shop in Toledo in 1909 much was made of the fact that a key staff member carried the title “Designer” next to his name. W.H. Cameron, perhaps the first professional automobile designer, was charged with giving Willys’ cars “graceful proportions” and an “attractive appearance.”

Second only to Ford Motor Co. at the time in sales, Willys became known as the design-driven company.

Amos Northup upheld the design tradition at Willys into the 1930s. Northup’s dramatic Willys-Knight Model 66B Plaidside Roadster (top) wowed show-goers at the 1930 Chicago Auto Salon. Later, Brooks Stevens would be the design force for Willys. His 1949 Jeep Station Wagon was the precursor to the modern-day SUV. Other noteworthy autos on display include the 1941 military Jeep and the Harley Earl-designed 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, whose Fiberglas body was developed by Owens-Corning of Toledo.

Wayne Pump Co., a maker of filling station equipment in the 1930s, drew on the expertise of the newly established Toledo design house of Harold Van Doren and John Gordon Rideout in incorporating design into its marketing strategies. Van Doren and Rideout’s Fire Chief gas pump not only calculated the price of gas and measured the amount dispensed, it is an early example of a product designed to spur impulse buying. A glass-doored accessory shelf built into the middle of the pump was design-ed to hold motor oils and waxes, and thereby expand on a consumer’s mission to fill his tank.

There are examples of the most commonplace, everyday items here, such as washing machines, frying pans, ice cream scoops and scales. Also included are some of the original sketches and mechanical renderings of these designs, which help to see the starts and stops that went into creating those products we ordinarily take for granted.“The Alliance of Art and Industry” runs through June 16 at the Toledo Museum of Art.

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