Monday, June 20, 2022

Thomas Maitland Cleland's Cadillac Images

Thomas Maitland Cleland (1880-1964), brief Wikipedia entry here, was an art director and graphic artist of note during his career.  Perhaps he is best known for creating the first cover of Fortune magazine, dated February 1930.  The magazine was under development prior to the October 1929 Wall Street Crash, and inertia and perhaps thinking that recovery would happen soon, it was launched essentially on schedule.  Cleland was its art director / designer as well as cover artist.

Today's post features work he did for what I believe is a brochure for model year 1928 Cadillac automobiles.  Each illustration features a view of a particular model (such as Roadster), and places  it in a luxury setting he deemed appropriate.

As a former commercial art major and current writer about automobile styling (my blog on that subject can be found here), I find his work particularly interesting.  So might readers interested in Deco/Moderne cum-traditional graphic arts styles of those times.

Click on images (via the Detroit public library) to enlarge.

Gallery

Cover

Seven Passenger Sedan

Five Passenger Coupé

Roadster

Town Sedan

Seven Passenger Touring

Sport Phaeton

Convertible Coupé

Fleetwood Transformable Town Cabriolet

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