Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-19
BODY DESIGNING
IN AUTOS AN ART
Expert Gives Interesting Data
on This Branch Of Auto
mobile Industry
nv WILLIAM A. HENDERSON
ro,,,eriy Designer for the Holbrook Co.

m
Coach building always has been an
Art, Whether 1t reached Its peak In
she days of the magnificent horsedrawn
,,nbicles Of royalty or whether that honor
toIosps TO the special creations which
wark custom built automobile bodies Is
matter Of opinion. Coach building
Sad It's start In Poland. Few realize
MAT the country separating Germany
tom Russia gave to the world the
s,st fine sample Of coach building. Such
ms AIS excellence in early days that
tbe English investigated and took up
,be art. and afterward came the French.
All of the craftsmen and designers Of
tbe empires and Kingdoms participated
IN this rivalry. and samples Of the work
~ other centuries reflect not only keen
vision, wonderful art on the part of the
designers, but handwork on woods and
metals that always will rank among the
clever creations Of men.
The source Of some of the inspirations
is striking. An English coach builder
was passing through the Alps when he
saw an oddly contrivcd goat cart. lie
skptched the lines and when he returned
home he worked out the cabriolet. which
made an instant appeal to those who
wanted the finest cquipages. The first
lion OF what they called the goat Ehere
The cart was discovered.
Became an Art
Early in the history of the United
States coach building took its place
among the arts. Democratic MS we were
under our Declaration of Independence
there were those who wanted the finest
appearing and best built vehicles for
their horses. New York Of the long
ago was the show place; on it's ave-
nues were to be, seen vehicles Of rare
lines, graceful and alluring, and built
for ages. so well was the work done.
Fine coach building in the days Of the
There we're builders. but they never at
tained the heights reached by the firms
rentered around New York and Phila-
delphia and in New England. 1t was
logical therefore. when the automobile
began to cncroach upon the desrability
Of the horse, that the early steps in
body building should come from the lat
ter places. In fact. designs Of bodies
now built in the midwest came from the
last.
For more than thirty years I have
been designing and building bodies.
CldTllHe III AllcNDuIs unu tHtu RolHR 10
New Haven, / spent years in this art,
and in 1893 began building electric cars.
Designs for Royalty
During the years Of the automobile ]
have designed bodies for the royalty of
Europe and notables Of this country,
including almost every stage favorite,
with the exception of Charlie Chaplin.
In the field of custom built bodies there
always has been opportunity. The de-
Signer has had the incentive Of creation
as his goal, and those who enjoy the
>olendid motor coaches little think of
the time and thought which the carry
ing out of the idea required. That
greatly desired touch of the exclusive,
the individual. has forced the designers
TO search the innermost recesses Of their
ingenuity. Then came the work Of max
Ing these lines fact, and workmanship
which marks the period furniture so
freely copied never was better than that
on some of the bodies today.
The designer of the automobile body
has many things to take into considera-
ton. Primarily the lines must be such
that the body will be clever. 1t must
also be comfortable and it must balance
with the chassis so that the car Is har-
mOnious from end to end. Beauty does
not mean lavishness or colors, nor does
it include freakiness. Lines of almost
severe plainness at times are those
which command quick commentator
from the automobile show visitors. Too
little thought of real grace has been
given to some of the bodies which COR Q
forth by the thousands.