It was no coincidence that the streamlined look became so popular in the 1930s. The period was marked in both America and Europe by the consequences of the economic crisis triggered by the Wall Street Crash in 1929.
Every possible effort was made in the United States to get the economy going again. People’s confidence in the country’s future had to be restored. A new generation of industrial designers presented themselves as the answer to the economic problems of the day. By designing new and attractive products, they tried to entice consumers to buy more and hence to revive the economy.
Streamlined environment
In the first half of the 20th century, new materials like aluminium, bakelite and other types of plastic emerged that could be readily cast or pressed into rounded forms. Flowing, curved forms could therefore also be applied to everyday domestic products.
These products also became a symbol of progress by facilitating a streamlined living environment. It was in the 1930s, for example, that electrical appliances began to be used on a large scale for the first time in American kitchens and bathrooms. The modern, streamlined design of these devices had an aura of efficiency and hygiene.
American style?
In Europe, all kinds of manufacturers made use of the seductive American Streamline style. The United States thus built up a certain cultural respectability, although this was mainly
restricted to popular culture. Some modern European designers viewed the American style with suspicion; they found it far too commercial.
The streamline style also found its way to the Netherlands. Take the Erres vacuum cleaner – the ‘torpedo model’ – designed by R.S. Stokvis. Even after the Second World War, the streamline style experienced a brief heyday in Europe, with the growing influence of American consumer culture.
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Historical streamlining books
Much has been and continues to be written about streamlining, the design style as well as the scientific phenomenon. A selection of historical books by curator Tomas van den Heuvel.
Streamlined solar cars
Solar cars need to be as efficient as possible and are therefore completely streamlined. In this video, Luc Evertzen of Solar Team Twente tells you more about the importance of streamlining solar cars.
Streamlined athletes
Cyclist Ellen van Dijk is a seven-time world champion and set the world hour record in 2022. In this video, she elaborates on why streamlining is important to her.
Streamlined animals
In search of the ideal streamline, people often look to nature. But what are we actually talking about when we talk about streamlined animals?
Streamlining and aerodynamic drag
What is a streamline? And what is aerodynamic resistance or ‘drag’?
Future
In our present age of climate upheaval and fuel shortages, reducing air resistance is right back at the top of the design agenda.
Performance
Aerodynamics or hydrodynamics are crucial to speed sports like swimming, cycling, skating, bobsledding and skiing.
Ideal
At its height, the streamlined design was accompanied by certain modern ideals.
Icons
New, streamlined vehicles were frequently held out in advertisements as the future of transport. In this way, streamlined trains, cars, aeroplanes and boats assumed an iconic status.
Experiment
Many early experiments set out to compare forms in order to identify the perfect one.
Enchantment
For hundreds of years, a galloping horse was viewed as the epitome of speed. But this would change in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. New inventions like the train, the car and the aeroplane meant that speeds that once seemed fantastical were becoming increasingly possible. This new potential for progress had a huge…
Nature
Learning from nature can still be very useful when it comes to creating aerodynamic designs.
What exactly is streamlining?
The term “streamline” originates from science and engineering, but what is it?
