Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America OLIVIA MAHONEY
“In the perspective of fifty years hence, the historian will detect in the decade of 1930–40 a period of tremendous significance. He will see it as a period of criticism, unrest and dissatisfaction to the point of disillusion—when new aims were being sought and new beginnings were astir. Doubtless he will ponder that, in the midst of a world-wide melancholy owing to an economic depression, a new age dawned with invigorating conceptions and the horizon lifted.” —Norman Bel Geddes, Horizons, 19321
Emil R. Zettler, director of the design department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, designed the official medal (above) of the 1933 world’s fair.
uring the 1930s, Chicago became a national center of streamlined design, a popular style that transformed the look and feel of everyday life in America. Streamlined design is one of several modern styles that emerged in Europe and the United States between the world wars. At the time, many architects and designers were seeking new forms that better suited modern times than traditional historic styles, and they found a winner in streamlined design. Inspired by modern machinery, especially airplanes and automobiles, streamlined design is characterized by smooth flowing lines and unadorned surfaces that express a desire for speed, power, and efficiency. The optimistic style struck a responsive chord with American con-
sumers and, according to design historian Jeffrey L. Meikle, “swept past other expressions of modernity with an irresistible metaphoric power.”2 Chicago introduced streamlined design on a mass scale at the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition. Held in the depths of the Great Depression, the fair served as a beacon of hope in desperate times and attracted huge crowds; more than 40 million people visited during its two seasons. Fairgoers thrilled at the sights of colorful, modernistic buildings and enjoyed a multitude of informative and entertaining attractions, but they seemed especially drawn to the streamlined Burlington Zephyr, a game-changing train that caused a national sensation.
D
Editor’s note: Curated by Olivia Mahoney, the exhibition Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America is on display at the Chicago History Museum from October 27, 2018, to December 1, 2019. The gallery features nearly three hundred objects, photographs, and printed materials dating from the 1930s to 1950s and celebrates Chicago’s role in shaping one of the most popular and enduring design styles in American history. Modern by Design | 5