Auto-Opium

Provides a comprehensive history of the profession and aesthetics of American automobile design. Gartman reveals how the appearance of the automobile was shaped by the social conflicts arising from America's mass production system.

David Gartman is Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of South Alabama.

List of Illustrations (21) Preface 1. The Aesthetics of Fordism 2. Early Development of the Automotive Form 3. Diverging Paths of Design: Mass and Class Production 4. The Struggle for Styling, 1: The Twenties and the Birth of Automobile Styling 5. The Struggle for Styling, 2: The Depression and the Decade of Streamlining 6. Fifties Fins and the Triumph of Fantastic Styling 7. The Rise and Fall of Auto Individuality Epilogue. Design in the Wake of Fordism Notes