1930's Fashion | Magic Motorways

Nonfiction work, Illustrations

By: Norman Bel Geddes

Date: 1940

Source: Bel Geddes, Norman. Magic Motorways. New York: Random House, 1940, 3–4, 6, 9, 10, 41, 266, 267, 276–278, 280, 283, 287–288, 294–295.

About the Author: Norman Bel Geddes (1893–1958) lived to see the complete revolution in transportation effected by the automobile. A highly successful theatrical and industrial designer, he personified the balance between art and science espoused by such visionaries as Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright. He died in New York in 1958.

Introduction

The automobile was by far the most popular mode of transportation among Americans by 1930 and was already changing the style and pace of American life. The nation's system of roadways, however, did not keep pace with the automobile's increasing popularity and use. The consequent chaos of American...