Thomas Lamb's “Wedge-Lock”
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DESIGN TO ENABLE THE BODY: THOMAS LAMB’S “WEDGE-LOCK” HANDLE, 1941-1962 by Rachel Elizabeth Delphia A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Early American Culture Spring 2005 © 2005 Rachel Elizabeth Delphia All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1426014 Copyright 2005 by Delphia, Rachel Elizabeth All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1426014 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DESIGN TO ENABLE THE BODY: THOMAS LAMB’S “WEDGE-LOCK” HANDLE, 1941-1962 by Rachel Elizabeth Delphia Approved: J. Rfitchie Garrison, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee a ^ 4 Approved: X —-_____2k J. Ritchie Garrison, Ph.D. Director of the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture Approved: Conrado M. Gempesaw II, Ph.D. Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: Conrado M. Gempesaw II, Ph.D. Vice-Provost for Academic and International Programs Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Photograph by author, Courtesy of the Hagley Museum and Library Come let me clutch thee - E. J. Kahn iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the fifteen months since I began working on this project, countless individuals have provided assistance and support. Lynn Catanese, Marge McNinch, and all the staff in Manuscripts and Archives at the Hagley Library have been wonderful. Thank you for introducing me to the Thomas Lamb collection, answering my many questions, and retrieving countless boxes of handles. I am much indebted to Susie Strasser, who oversaw my initial exploration of Lamb’s designs. Through her insightful advice on prewriting and outlining, she has influenced my approach to writing and research more than anyone since my tenth-grade English teacher. I also thank Ben Schwantes and Kathleen Kvortek for tackling my earliest drafts and locating my argument when I could not. Casey Helfrich, Bobbye Tigerman, and Dwight Yee also offered invaluable criticism on various drafts, and my mother, Elizabeth van Balen Delphia, is still my favorite proofreader in the world. Without her careful readings, I might actually have had to buy the Chicago Manual o f Style rather than just pilfering it from my roommate’s shelves from time to time. Thank you to the entire Winterthur faculty for your unwavering dedication to the students and for indulging my twentieth-century interests. I am especially appreciative of my advisor Ritchie Garrison. Your generous feedback throughout this process has helped me focus my ideas and strengthen my finished project. Thank you also, of course, to my wonderful Winterthur classmates for making the last two years so enjoyable. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I can never express enough gratitude to my family. To my parents: Thank you for teaching me to love learning and creating and for supporting me in all my endeavors. To Casey: Thank you for encouraging me through this adventure and inviting me to embark on a new one. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TERMS.........................................................................................................xi ABSTRACT................................................................................................................xii Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Thomas Lamb............................................................................................................................7 Industrial Design in America .................................................................................................. 14 Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) .................................................................................20 Crutches & Handles: Research & Development (1941-1948) ......................................... 29 Testing the Civilian W aters ................................................................................................. 42 Designing Wedge-lock Handles .......................................................................................... 48 A Taste of Success: Affiliated Retailers Incorporated ........................................................57 An Enduring Relationship: Cutco Cutlery & Wear-Ever Aluminum ............................... 62 Up for Grabs: Public Response to the Wedge-lock Handle ............................................. 67 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................82 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................149 APPENDIX A: Lamb's Wedge-lock Model Notebook, 1945-1958 ................................158 APPENDIX B: “The Lamb Grip-hold,” patent essay, c. 1944....................................... 186 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES 1 File cabinet drawers full of handles in Thomas Lamb's office, c. 1958 .................92 2 Portrait of Thomas Lamb, c. 1954 .............................................................................92 3 Design for screen-printed handkerchief by Thomas Lamb, 1941 ............................93 4 Printed cotton handkerchief for child, designed by Thomas Lamb, n.d ..................94 5 Chronocyclegraphs of the motion and fatigue study of bricklaying (22), drill press (23), and typesetting (24) .................................................................................95 6 Hand Measurements of Men, Women and Children .................................................96 7 Percent of Total Handle Development Hours Spent on Various Types of Products, 1945-1958 ................................................................................................. 97 8 Pneumatic crutch pad, US Patent 1,980,044, Clarence M. Fallon, 1934 ............... 98 9 Spring-filled armrest, US Patent 2,364,053, James Bourne, 1944 ..........................98 10 Two of Lamb's hand studies, 1941-1943 ................................................................ 99 11 A sketch of Lamb's crutch armrest, dated Nov. 28, 1942 ....................................... 100 12 Armrest for crutches, US Patent 2,362,642, Thomas Lamb, 1944...................... 101 13 Handle, US Patent 2,390,544, Thomas Lamb, 1945 ............................................... 102 14 Back and side views of the Grip-Hold handle on the cane/crutch combination from Lamb's sketchbook, Jan. 15, 1945 ............................................ 103 15 A top view of the Grip-Hold handle, from Lamb's sketches, Dec. 28, 1943 ........103 16 Drawing depicting the 10 - 20 degree angle (off perpendicular) of the human hand to the extended arm ........................................................................... 104 17 The Lamb Natural Crutch as it appeared in a sketch on Dec. 28, 1943 ................104 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18 Crutch, US Patent 2,409,365, Thomas Lamb, 1946................................................ 105 19 Photo of the all aluminum Lim-Rest Cane-Crutch, Tumpane Co., 1946 ............ 106 20 Lamb Lim-Rest brochure, R.H. Macy’s, 1946 ........................................................106 21 Display window at R.H. Macy's, 1946, advertising the new Lim-Rest Crutch... 107 22 Photograph showing slip- and sweat-resistant handle and armrest coatings .........108 23 Sketches showing various curves of the hand .........................................................109 24 Lamb uses the curves of the hand to determine the shape of the handle..............110 25 Lamb shows the ideal workload for each digit of the hand ................................... I l l 26 Wing surfaces enable the thumb and forefinger ..................................................... 112 27 Two-part plaster mold of Lamb's original Wedge-lock handle model, 1943 ...... 112 28 Interior of two-part plaster mold depicted in figure 2 7 ..........................................113