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Designer Henry Dreyfuss American
Manufacturer Buffalo China (Buffalo, New York) American
Not on view
As a pioneering industrial designer in America, Henry Dreyfuss created a number of consumer products that were nearly ubiquitous in American homes: telephones, vacuum cleaners, and cameras were among his most successful designs. In the 1930s, railroad companies competed for passengers by upgrading their services. Dreyfuss designed every aspect of New York Central's luxury long-distance train, the 20th Century Limited, the name embodying its advanced technology and modernity. In addition to redesigning aspects of the train's exterior to give it a sleeker, more streamlined appearance, Dreyfuss attended to every detail of the interior, making it more efficient and comfortable. The result was a complete corporate branding, as well as a much improved train design. These dinner plates and letterhead, in coordinated shades of buff and taupe, project a unified vision of simple, elegant modernity, appropriate to a luxury train like the 20th Century Limited.
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Artwork Details
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Title: "20th Century Limited"
Designer: Henry Dreyfuss (American, New York 1904–1972 South Pasedena, California)
Manufacturer: Buffalo China (Buffalo, New York) (American)
Date: 1938
Medium: Earthenware
Dimensions: 1 1/8 × Diam. 10 5/8 in. (2.9 × 27 cm)
Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
Credit Line: John C. Waddell Collection, Gift of John C. Waddell, 2002
Accession Number: 2002.585.2
Learn more about this artwork
Timeline of Art History
Essay
Design, 1925-50
Chronology
The United States and Canada, 1900 A.D.-present
Related Artworks
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- By Buffalo China (Buffalo, New York)
- By Henry Dreyfuss
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Ceramics
- Dishes
- Earthenware
- Plates
- Pottery
- From North and Central America
- From United States
- From A.D. 1900–present
Thermos carafe
Henry Dreyfuss (American, New York 1904–1972 South Pasedena, California)
1935
Drawing
Henry Dreyfuss (American, New York 1904–1972 South Pasedena, California)
1936
Thermos Bottle and Cups
Henry Dreyfuss (American, New York 1904–1972 South Pasedena, California)
ca. 1933
Potato Masher
Henry Dreyfuss (American, New York 1904–1972 South Pasedena, California)
1934
Tray
Henry Dreyfuss (American, New York 1904–1972 South Pasedena, California)
1935
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