Walter Dorwin Teague

Walter Dorwin Teague
BornDecember 18, 1883
Pendleton, Indiana, US
DiedDecember 5, 1960(1960-12-05) (aged 76)
Flemington, New Jersey, US
Alma materArt Students League of New York
OccupationArchitect
Spouse(s)Cecelia Fehon (m. 1908, d. 1937)
Ruth Mills
Children3
ProjectsNew York World's Fair
Kodak products
Steinway piano

Walter Dorwin Teague (December 18, 1883 – December 5, 1960) was an American industrial designer, architect, illustrator, graphic designer, writer, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Dean of Industrial Design",[1] Teague pioneered in the establishment of industrial design as a profession in the US, along with Norman Bel Geddes, Raymond Loewy, Henry Dreyfuss[2] and Joseph Sinel.[3][4]

Regarded as a classicist and a traditionalist despite a later shift to modern tastes,[5] Teague is recognized as a critical figure in the spread of mid-century modernism in America.[6] He is widely known for his exhibition designs during the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, such as the Ford Building, and his iconic product and package designs, from Eastman Kodak's Bantam Special to the steel-legged Steinway piano.[7]

A self-described late starter whose professional acclaim began as he approached age 50,[8] Teague sought to create heirlooms out of mass-produced manufactured objects, and frequently cited beauty as "visible rightness".[9] In 1926 Teague assembled an industrial design consultancy later known as Teague.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IDSA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grove was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Now the Beauty Engineers". Popular Mechanics Magazine. Vol. 58, no. 4. Chicago: H. W. Windsor, Jr. October 1932. pp. 554–557.
  4. ^ Seitlin, Percy (June 1936). "Joseph Sinel—Artist to Industry". PM: An Intimate Journal for Production Managers, Art Directors and Their Associates. 2 (10). New York: P.M. Publishing Co.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference artdeco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference DCrit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Forbes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference BusNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference newyorker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Bailey, Nate (September 21, 2016). "Co-founding new futures. - TEAGUE". Retrieved September 22, 2016.