Papers, 1931-1952
Towle, H. Ledyard (Harold Ledyard), 1890-1973
Details
1 linear ft
The H. Ledyard Towle papers are a collection of fragments primarily focused on his years at Pittsburgh Plate Glass. The collection consists of three volumes and a box of miscellaneous files
Box 1: Contents include: "Here It Comes" an article by Towle on future streamlining from AMERICAN MAGAZINE, Sept. 1932; correspondence re Towle's work as color consultant for Colonial Williamsburg, 1937-38; a General Motors Art & Color Section paint card; photos of renderings of package designs for Mione soap and Texaco cup grease; photos of renderings of designs for PPG, including furniture and interiors; a folder of speeches by Towle on the use of color in product design, advertising and architecture, 1941; articles on the effects of (mostly fluorescent) lighting on the perception of color, 1940-41, including issues of NATIONAL PAINTERS MAGAZINE, BUILDINGS & BUILDING MANAGEMENT, and General Electric's THE MAGAZINE OF LIGHT, plus a trade catalog for Truscon "Wall-Lite" paint for factories; a file on color dynamics, 1931-52, mostly on work with PPG, including company publications on color, speeches and articles by Towle, a color scheme developed for Father Flanagan's Boys' Home at Boys' Town, report of a sales trip from Pittsburgh to Akron (1946), publicity for Duco lacquer, and an address by Towle on streamlining and auto design to the American Society of Automotive Engineers (1931)
Vol. 2: A large presentation book documenting the work of PPG's Ditzler Color Company on Colonial Williamsburg (1937); includes extract from ARCHITECTURAL RECORD of 1935 on Colonial Williamsburg, 9 pp. on Ditzler Color Company and staff, including Towle, and 42 metal plates with sample and description for each of the 42 approved Williamsburg colors. Inscription indicates volume was originally intended for presentation to Raymond Loewy. Purpose of the volume was apparently to promote the use of Williamsburg colors by the auto industry and other manufacturers
Vol 3: The second annual report of the Division of Creative Design and Color of PPG, 1936-1937; a scrapbook of photos of renderings of designs with a short typed text. Designs include: Gulf Oil service stations, electric ranges, radios, a tricycle, clocks, mirrors, a Chrysler steering wheel, a Sparton refrigerator, a station wagon, a panel truck, and a trailer/camper. Many of the renderings are of interiors, usually in the moderne style, incorporating glass block and decorative glass and mirrors. These include several bathrooms for private residences and a beauty parlor
Vol. 4: A scrapbook of clippings and ephemera, mostly 1939-44, including a World War I portrait of Towle, programs and announcements of events at which Towle was a speaker, notes on "color therapy" in hospitals and a pamphlet by Towle entitled "Creative Selling to Hospitals", 1942
A portrait photograph of Towle is available in the Pictorial Collections Dept
H. Ledyard Towle was a commercial artist, portrait painter and color consultant to industry. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on August 30, 1890, and served as a camouflage expert and artist with the rank of Captain during World War I. In the 1920s, Towle was chairman of DuPont's Duco Color Advisory Service, his duties covering both the styling and color of products. As Duco lacquers were heavily marketed to the automobile industry, Towle developed a number of important contacts in Detroit and became an early advocate of streamlined design, particularly for automobiles. From 1930 to 1934, Towle worked as an art director for Campbell-Ewald in Detroit specializing in billboard advertising. He designed the original "Chessie" poster for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's famous "Sleep like a Kitten" campaign. Towle joined the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company as director of the Division of Creative Design and Color in December 1934, where he spent the bulk of his creative career working with both glass and paint. He wrote and lectured extensively on the use of color in design. Towle died at his retirement home in Merry Point, Va., in November 1973
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