Streamline Moderne Design in Consumer Culture and Transportation Infrastructure

Design for the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Situated in the time between World War I and World War II, the design community sought a new design for a new century, free of the trappings and encumbrances of the past. The impact of this new design idea would be far-reaching and serve as a remarkable milestone in the American experience, ushering in modern contemporary mass-produced consumer culture, stylistically and philosophically the successor to then contemporary design practice. The Art Deco style was pioneered in the years following World War I, exhibited at the L’Exposition Internationale des Artes Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes of 1925 (translated to English as the International Exhibition of Modern and Industrial Decorative Arts). Art Deco, while certainly new, was not entirely free of the ornamental motifs of the past. Additionally, Art Deco prioritized the handcrafted, high-end, and exclusive, providing exceptional design for those who could afford it.