Towle, H. Ledyard

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.

From the description of Papers, 1931-1952. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 82681162