Streamlined Moderne Clocks

Henry Dreyfuss (American, 1904–1972) Machined Aluminum Thermos No 539 and tray. USA, 1940 Stamped manufacturer's mark to underside of thermos: [The American Thermos Bottle Co., The Only Thermos Vacuum Bottle Designed By Henry Dreyfuss, Norwich Conn, USA]. Henry Dreyfuss was the most understated of the early industrial designers. Like his teacher and main inspiration Norman Bel Geddes, he moved from theater design to industrial design, but took a more practical approach, developing long relationships with clients such as the Hoover company, John Deere, and the New York Central Railroad. Dreyfuss preferred the word "cleanlining" to "streamlining," which distanced him from what he considered to be the excesses of the 1930s restyling movement. He was sufficiently self-promotional to write his own autobiography, Designing for People, in 1955, following in the footsteps of Bel Geddes, Teague, and Loewy. These pitchers are typical of his approach to industrial design, with synthetic materials and clean lines. The American Thermos Bottle Company promoted them with Dreyfuss's name, which appears in signature form on the bottom. This insulated aluminum thermos pitcher exemplifies the signature design approach of renowned industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss. Featuring distinctive horizontal banding and a streamlined handle inspired by the profile of the Mercury locomotive, the thermos merges modern aesthetics with everyday functionality—hallmarks of Dreyfuss’s utilitarian design philosophy. These vintage thermos pitchers...