Drawing signed by Raymond Loewy (1971)

In his prime, the great designer Raymond Loewy works with NASA on a spacesuit project.

Drawing by Raymond Loewy for NASA's Skylab project. March 14, 1971, United States. One sheet, translucent paper. 23cm x 30.5cm. Excellent condition, slight crease mark on top of page. Single piece.

Like all collectors of autograph documents, certain personalities fascinate me more than others. Raymond Loewy is one of them. But who was he?

Raymond was four years old when the Eiffel Tower was erected in Paris. So, he was born in the midst of the industrial revolution, a turbulent time in France. He saw Alberto Santos-Dumont fly his Demoiselle in the Bois de Boulogne, which left a deep impression on him. However, despite being of French origin, Raymond Loewy (1893-1986) spent his entire career in the United States, where he obtained American nationality in 1938, and died there. The immigrant worker in New York gave birth to a profession, that of a designer, which made him rich and famous.

We owe him many objects that gave Americans, after the Great Depression, the desire to consume, and which became symbols of America. Raymond designed the Lucky Strike cigarette pack, the most beautiful models of the Studebakers car, the Shell and Exxon logos, locomotives, vacuum cleaners and refrigerators, the exterior look of the Air Force One presidential plane, the Coca-Cola bottle and many other iconic objects. An estimated 95% of Americans have seen or used one of his creations.

Raymond Loewy was also consulted by NASA to work on the Skylab project, the first temporary space station in the United States (it was occupied between May 1973 and February 1974): layout, colors, lighting, noise levels and all other related factors to human comfort in a confined space, were studied by Raymond Loewy's team. This drawing of futuristic boots, signed by the stylist, is a sketch of the astronaut suit.

There are some Raymond Loewy reproductions signed by him, and some dedications too. But his drawings are extremely rare, even more so with his signature "Loewy", for their heirs and the institutions guarded them. So it was a big surprise and a real pleasure when I found this little treasure in France.