Henry Dreyfuss

For the Swiss chemist and inventor of Celanese, seeHenri Dreyfus.

Henry Dreyfuss
Born	March 2, 1904 Brooklyn, New York,U.S.
Died	October 5, 1972 (aged 68) South Pasadena, California,U.S.
Occupation	Industrial designer
Spouse	Doris Marks Dreyfuss
Children	3

Henry Dreyfuss(March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an Americanindustrial designer.He is known for designing theWestern ElectricModel 500 telephone,theWestcloxBig Ben alarm clock, and theHoneywell T87 Round Thermostat.

Career

Dreyfuss, a native ofBrooklyn,New York City,is one of the celebrity industrial designers of the 1930s and 1940s who pioneered his field. Dreyfuss dramatically improved the look, feel, and usability of dozens of consumer products. Sometimes compared toRaymond Loewyand other contemporaries, Dreyfuss was much more than a stylist; he applied common sense and a scientific approach to design problems, making products more pleasing to the eye and hand, safer to use, and more efficient to manufacture and repair. His work helped popularize the role of the industrial designer while also contributing significant advances to the fields ofergonomics,anthropometricsandhuman factors.

Dreyfuss began as a Broadway theatrical designer. Until 1920, he apprenticed underNorman Bel Geddes,who would later become one of his competitors. In 1929, Dreyfuss opened his own office for theatrical and industrial design. His firm met with commercial success, and continued as Henry Dreyfuss Associates for over four decades after his death.

Designs

One of theNYC Hudsonsgiven astreamlinedcasing of Henry Dreyfuss's design to haul the20th Century Limited

• Hoovermodel 150 vacuum cleaner (1936)
• SeveralWestcloxBig Benalarm clocks (1931–1956). The style 3 (1931), 4 (1934), 5 (1939) and 6 (1949) Big and Baby Ben cases were all designed by Dreyfuss.
• New York Central Railroad's streamlinedMercurytrain, bothlocomotiveand passenger cars (1936)
• New York Central Hudsonlocomotive for the20th Century Limited(1938)
• PopularDemocracitymodel city of the future at the1939 New York World's Fairat theTrylon and Perisphere

  

  280Park AvenueinManhattan

• StyledJohn DeereModel A, B, and H tractors (1938)
• Wahl-Eversharp Skyline fountain pen (1940)
• Royal Typewriter Company's Quiet DeLuxe (late 1940s)
• Bell Systemtelephones:Western Electric 500-series desk and wall telephones (1949 - 1972),Princess telephone(1959),Model 1500 10 digit touchtone(1963),Model 2500 12-digit touchtone(1968–present), and theTrimline telephone(1965–present)
• Two American ocean liners,SSIndependenceandSSConstitutionfor American Export Lines (1951–2)
• HoneywellT87"the Round" circular wall thermostat (1953–present)
• SphericalHoovermodel 82Constellationvacuum cleanerwhich floated on an air cushion of its own exhaust (1954)
• Hoover model 65 convertible vacuum cleaner (1957)
• John Deere1010, 2010, 3010, and 4010 tractors (1960)
• Bankers Trust Building at 280Park AvenueinManhattan,New York City,withEmery Roth & Sons(1963)
• American Airlinesbranding (1960s)
• Polaroid SX-70Land camera (1972)

Later life and death

In 1955, Dreyfuss wroteDesigning for People.A window into Dreyfuss's career as an industrial designer, the book illustrated his ethical and aesthetic principles, included design case studies, many anecdotes, and an explanation of his "Joe" and "Josephine"anthropometriccharts. In 1960 he publishedThe Measure of Man,a collection of ergonomic reference charts providing designers precise specifications for product designs. In 1965, Dreyfuss became the first President of theIndustrial Designers Society of America(IDSA). In 1969, Dreyfuss retired from the firm he founded,but continued serving many of the companies he worked with as board member and consultant. In 1972 Dreyfuss publishedThe Symbol Sourcebook, An Authoritative Guide to International Graphic Symbols.This visual database of over 20,000 symbols continues to provide a standard for industrial designers around the world.

On October 5, 1972, the bodies of Henry Dreyfuss (aged 68) and his wife and business partner Doris Marks Dreyfuss (aged 69) were found in the garage at 500 Columbia Street inSouth Pasadena, Californiaby Dr. Edward Evans, the family physician. They committed suicide together. Authorities reported the cause of death ascarbon monoxide poisoning.Lieut. John R. Simmons, chief of the detective bureau of the South Pasadena police, reported that notes had been left. A note instructed the Dreyfuss's maid to call Dr. Evans upon her arrival that morning. Another note held the key to the carriage house and instructions to enter. Dr. Evans reported the deaths to the police at approximately 8:10 A.M. The couple was survived by their son, John A., and their two daughters, Ann and Mrs. George C. Wilson Jr.Mrs. Dreyfuss was terminally ill at the time.

References

Bibliography

• Dreyfuss, Henry.Symbol Sourcebook: An Authoritative Guide to International Graphic Symbols.New York:John Wiley & Sons.1984.ISBN0-471-28872-1
• Dreyfuss, Henry.Designing for People.Allworth Press;illustrated edition, 2003.ISBN1-58115-312-0
• Flinchum, Russell.Henry Dreyfuss, Industrial Designer: The Man in the Brown Suit.Rizzoli,1997.ISBN0-8478-2010-6
• Innes, Christopher.Designing Modern America: Broadway to Main Street.Yale University Press,2005.ISBN0-300-10804-4

External links

• Video on Dreyfuss's design for Honeywell thermostat and for his Bell Telephone,atWikimedia Commons