Illustrating The Henry Ford
Edison Institute Museum and Village Guidebook, circa 1934. / THF223430
When the Edison Institute Museum and Greenfield Village (now The Henry Ford) opened to the general public on June 12, 1933, a series of detailed illustrations were used to highlight the many exhibits and attractions. Many of these illustrations would appear in guidebooks, brochures, and other promotional materials into the 1940s.
Ford News, July 1933, pp. 126-127. / THF731751
Henry Ford’s go-to artist for these projects was Irving R. Bacon, a prolific painter, illustrator, and cartoonist, whose work had previously appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Detroit Evening News, the Detroit Free Press, Harper’s Weekly, and McClure’s. Since 1913, Bacon had been employed by the Ford Motor Company, his work appearing in the Ford Times and The Dearborn Independent.
Irving Bacon Works on the Painting of Light's Golden Jubilee, January 17, 1938. / THF149655
Modern-day visitors to the museum may be familiar with Bacon’s panoramic oil painting depicting Light’s Golden Jubilee and its 262 notable attendees, including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, George Eastman, Orville Wright, Marie Curie, and President Herbert Hoover.
Light's Golden Jubilee and Dedication of Edison Institute by Irving Bacon, painted 1945. / THF119552
Bacon’s original pen-and-ink artwork can be found in the Irving R. Bacon Papers and in our collection of Edison Institute Advertising Drawings.
The drawings were done on illustration board, at sizes between 11 x 14 in. and 18 x 30 in., depending on the level of detail required. The drawings were lightly sketched in pencil first, then finished in ink. Corrections and adjustments were made using white paint (correction fluid would not be available until the 1950s).
Henry Ford Museum, circa 1933. / THF717872
The drawings were based on photographs taken by Ford Motor Company photographers or by Bacon himself. The drawings were usually very faithful to the original photographs, but some artistic license may have been taken with trees and foliage.
Bacon’s photograph of the Soybean Experimental Laboratory was used as reference for an illustration that appears in the circa 1934 guidebook. During the 1930s, this “modern” laboratory was used for experiments in agricultural chemistry, processing soybeans into materials that might be used in manufacturing.
Soybean Laboratory in Greenfield Village. / THF728456 (top) and THF716604 (bottom)
Bacon’s photograph of the Charles Steinmetz Cabin was used as reference for an illustration that appears in the circa 1934 guidebook. At the time, the secluded cabin overlooked a channel of the Rouge River, which was later diverted to create the Suwanee Lagoon.
Charles Steinmetz Cabin in Greenfield Village. / THF728476 (top) and THF716480 (bottom)
A Ford Motor Company photograph of automobiles on exhibit in the Edison Institute Museum in 1936 was used as reference for an illustration that appears in the 1937 guidebook.
Automobiles in Henry Ford Museum. / THF728563 (top) and THF716674 (bottom)
A Ford Motor Company photograph of the Chariot made by William Ross for Angelica Campbell, taken in 1934, was used as reference for an illustration that appears in the 1941 guidebook. Temporary walls were positioned behind the chariot during the photo shoot.
Campbell Chariot in Henry Ford Museum. / THF728906 (top) and THF716704 (bottom)
Models in period-appropriate costumes posed for Ford Motor Company photographs in the “Street of Shops” exhibits inside the Edison Institute Museum. The photographs were used as reference for illustrations that appear in the 1941 guidebook.
Toy Shop in Henry Ford Museum. / THF728869 (top) and THF716684 (bottom)
We digitize a lot of interesting photographs, documents, and printed matter every day, but drawings like these are a favorite of mine, because it is always evident just how much time, effort, and care went into making each one. Ninety years later, it seems like time well spent!
Jim Orr is Imaging Services Specialist at The Henry Ford.
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