Marmon Twelve

Walter Dorwin Teague1932

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
New York, United States

Gray coupe with long tapering hood and projecting box-like trunk; chromed grille, headlights, tail lights and door handles; four black-painted metal wheels with chromed hub caps. Model mounted on flat wooden base with metal plaque mounted at front.

Show lessRead more

Details

Title: Marmon Twelve
Creator: Walter Dorwin Teague, Jr.
Creator Lifespan: 1910/2004
Date Created: 1932
Physical Dimensions: w150 x h145 x d515 cm
Type: Automobile model
Rights: Gift of W. Dorwin Teague, Jr.
Medium: Wood, lacquer, metal
Viewing Notes: Designed in 1929 by WAlter Dorwin Teague, Jr. for his father's firm, the Marmon Sixteen Sedan epitomized Jazz Age streamline styling. Despite critical success, fewer than 400 Marmons were produced before the Great Depression casued the company to fold. This original model immortalizes the chromed grille and running boards of Teague's car design. Teague explains how streamlingin the body of the Marmon Sixteen would improve airflow around the vehicle, and illustrates the growing importance of professional designers like Teague had in the development of automobiles at that time. The Marmon Twelve model presents the 1932 Teague-family design for the Marmon Company; this car was never put into production. The design is notable for its long, tapering hood and "pontoon fenders."
Provenance: Walter Dorwin Teague, Jr.
Inscribed: Inscription on brass(?) plaque at front of wooden display base: "Designed and built by/ Walter D. Teague Jr./ MCMXXXII"
Exhibitions: Brooklyn, NY, The Brooklyn Museum, "Machine Age in America, 1918-1941," 10/16/86-2/15/87 Berlin, West Germany, Akademie der Kunste, "Raymond Loewy, Pioneer of American Industrial Design," 3/17/90-4/22/90 "Yinka Shonibare Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection" Cooper-Hewitt, Collections Gallery, 10/7/05-9/24/06New York, NY, Museum of the City of New York, "Cars, Culture, and the City," 3/25/10-8/8/10
Dimensions: H x W x D (car): 14.5 x 15 x 51.5 cm (5 11/16 x 5 7/8 x 20 1/4 in.)H x W x D (base): 1.8 x 23 x 61 cm (11/16 x 9 1/16 x 24 in.)H x W x D (car and base): 16.2 x 23 x 61 cm (6 3/8 x 9 1/16 x 24 in.)

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Zoom in

Walter Dorwin Teague Classic car Lacquer Metal Vehicle Wood