Designed by John Tjaarda & Associates — A.M. Fitzpatrick
Product Styling — George W. Walker
Designed by Williams & Tweney Engineering Industrial Design
Reynolds Metal — A. M. Fitzpatrick
Designed by John Tjaarda & Associates — A.M. Fitzpatrick
Designed by Williams & Tweney Engineering Industrial Design
Designed by Don Mortrude
Designed by George W. Walker
Designed by Carl Reynolds, Jr.
Designed by Don Mortrude, 1943
[ Images via LIFE, all images © ]
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A tasty collection of futuristic renderings from the Industrial Design Show held March of 1944 can be found in the LIFE image archives. Sadly there is little additional information and no real credits with the exception of photographer Wallace Kirkland. Nothing turns up on LIFE’s main website nor in digital magazine archives. That being the case I enlarged the photos within still semi-legible limits and squinted and blinked my eyes as necessary to make out the fine credit line on renderings that included such. I have listed the designers and product and body stylists as noted and as readable.
In the course of my research I learned that featured American product and automotive designer John Tjaarda (1887–1962)—originally from Holland—designed the Kitchen of Tomorrow. An early 1932 version of his kitchen design was exhibited by Briggs Manufacturing Company, the major body producer for both Ford and Chrysler where Tjaarda served as chief of body design.
Industrial and automotive designer George W. Walker (1896–1993)—whose work is also featured above—was a member of the small team that designed the original Ford Thunderbird. He was then Ford’s corporate vice-president of design.
See/learn more:
John Tjaarda – Lincoln Zephyr 1936
Kitchens of Tomorrow – LIFE magazine, Aug 9 1943
Wallace Kirkland
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
All these illustrations are beautiful. Nice to see how designers imagined the future in the 40s.
Interesting to see the ideas about future design back then. superb hand illustrations