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Nathan Horwitt collection

Creator:
Horwitt, (George) Nathan, 1889-1990.  Search this
Names:
Braquette, Inc.  Search this
Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive  Search this
Design Engineers, Inc.  Search this
Howard Miller Clock Company  Search this
Movado Watch Corporation  Search this
Horwitt, (George) Nathan, 1889-1990.  Search this
Extent:
4 Cubic feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Blueprints
Clippings
Financial records
Speeches
Drawings
Articles
Photographs
Audiocassettes
Advertisements
Patents
Correspondence
Brochures
Videocassettes
Sketches
Negatives
Slides
Legal correspondence
Plans
Date:
[193-]-[196-]
Summary:
This collection documents Horwitt's major projects from the 1930s to the 1960s.Project files include drawings, sketches, blueprints, correspondence, patents, legal correspondence, clippings, financial reports, and advertisements for Horwitt's projects. Samples of logos and letterheads he designed are included as well. The most thorough documentation pertains to the Braquette, the Cyclometer, the Museum Watch, and the Beta Chair. Drawings, sketches, blueprints, and plans are boxed separately, mostly flat. Interviews with individuals who worked with and knew Horwitt are on audio cassettes, "Recollections of Nathan Horwitt." Two short videos, "The Legend behind the Museum Watch" and "Movado Worldwide Museum" are stored on 3/4 in. video cassettes.
Arrangement note:
Arranged in six record groups; 1) Project files; 2) Drawings, sketches, and blueprints; 3) Film and video; 4) Photographs and Transparencies; 5) Sound Recordings; and 6) Reference Material.
Biographical/Historical note:
Industrial designer. Born Romania, 1889. Horwitt studied at City University of New York, New York University, and the Art Students' League, New York. In the 1920s, Horwitt formed his own, short-lived company, Design Engineers, Inc. He served as an advertising copywriter for the pharmaceutical company, E.R. Squibb, after serving in World War II.

Horwitt is best known for his design of a numberless black-face watch that has become known as the "Museum Watch" and was produced by the Movado Watch Company. He also designed the 1930 Beta chair and the Braquette, a frameless picture frame. His innovative designs for timepieces incorporated the classic elements of modern design while retaining some of the traditional elements of telling time, such as the circular face.
Location of Other Archival Materials Note:
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Applied Arts Department. Models and prototypes of approximately 25 objects, including models of the Museum Clock, the Cyclox clock, the Braquette, and the Beta Chair.
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Drawings and Prints Department. Three drawings of Horwitt's designs for perfume bottles.
Movado Web Page. Information on Horwitt's work for the Movado Watch Company can be found on the company's web site, http://www.movado.ch/nhorwit.html.
Provenance:
Hank Horwitt, the designer's son, gave Cooper-Hewitt all his relevant design materials from his home studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1991.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use onsite by appointment. Permission of staff required to photograph materials.
Occupation:
Industrial designers -- United States  Search this
Topic:
Postage stamp design -- United States  Search this
Radio -- Receivers and reception  Search this
Museum Watch  Search this
Logos (Symbols) -- United States  Search this
Letterheads -- Design  Search this
Lamps -- Design  Search this
Clocks and watches -- Design  Search this
Chair design  Search this
Beta Chair  Search this
Museum Clock  Search this
Braquette  Search this
Design, Industrial -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Blueprints
Clippings
Financial records
Speeches
Drawings
Articles
Photographs
Audiocassettes
Advertisements
Patents
Correspondence
Brochures
Videocassettes
Sketches
Negatives
Slides
Legal correspondence
Plans
Identifier:
SIL-CH.1991-127-1
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Libraries
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sc2a10b3406-05a4-40be-ba41-00d32216dece
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sil-ch-1991-127-1

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