1936 . . . AND WAY OUT IN FRONT
Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Harley-Davidson Motor Company: 1936 . . . AND WAY OUT IN FRONT [brochure title]. [Milwaukee: Harley-Davidson Motor Company, 1936]. Original edition. Sales brochure/poster. Folded into sixths [as issued]. Brochure unfolds from 23.5 cm x 16.5 cm to a 70.5 x 33 cm display poster for the 1936 line of V-twin motorcycles. A near fine, uncirculated example.
Manufacturers sales brochure printed in four spot colors that unfolds to reveal luminous, duotone product shots of the 1936 motorcycle models: the 45-, 74- and 80-inch V-twins. A classic piece of American Moderne design in both form and content.
"Streamline was a progressive design approach (and style) unique to the United States during the early Thirties. Unlike the elegant austerity of the Bauhaus, where economy and simplicity were paramount, Streamline was a uniquely American futuristic mannerism based on sleek aerodynamic design born of science and technology. Planes, trains and cars were given the swooped-back appearance that both symbolized and physically accelerated speed. Consequently, type and image were designed to echo that sensibility, the result being that the airbrush became the medium of choice and all futuristic traits, be they practical or symbolic, were encouraged. The clarion call was to "Make it Modern" -- and "it" was anything that could be designed." -- Steven Heller