Clarence Pearson Hornung was born in 1899 and graduated from The Cooper Union Art School in 1919. He Lived and worked in New York as a commercial artist and trademark designer. He passed away January 2, 1997.
After graduating from The Cooper Union, he began his career working with the American Type Founders Company. His design work included logos and advertising for Coca-Cola, Arrow Shirt, Longines, Seagrams, Encyclopedia Britannica, Quaker Oats, Disney, and General Motors.
Clarence created the iconic eagle symbol used by the US government for the Victory Book Campaign in 1943 and designed logos for federal agencies, such as the Civilian Conservation Corp and the US Forest Service, during WWII. Learn More
In 1949, he began making auto illustrations and in 1956, he released a boxed set of lithographs of historic American automobiles. 26 pieces of original art for this series were sold at auction on December 14, 2017 for $2080. Learn More
Clarence authored Handbook of Designs and Devices, a book that classified 1,836 basic geometric designs and variations for quick, convenient, practical reference by workers in all fields of art. He also authored Background Patterns, Textures and Tints, a book that contains 92-line prints for use as backgrounds in commercial and graphic art work. He authored more than 40 books in graphic arts, antique collectibles, transportation, font design, and Americana history.
Some books authored and illustrated by Clarence Pearson Hornung:
- Handbook of Designs and Devices,
- Background Patterns, Textures and Tints,
- Handbook of Early Advertising Art: Pictorial Volume,
- A Source Book of Antiques and Jewelry Designs,
- An Old-Fashioned Christmas in Illustration and Decoration,
- Handbook of Early Advertising Art, Mainly from American Sources,
- Early Advertising Alphabets, Initials and Typographic Ornaments,
- Allover Patterns for Designers and Craftsmen,
- 2000 Early Advertising Cuts,
- Wheels Across America -A Graphic History of Vehicular Transportation,
- Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles / 1904-1905-1906,
- The Way it was: New York, 1850-1890
- Wheels across America;: A pictorial cavalcade illustrating the early development of vehicular transportation,
- Antique Automobiles; Doyer Coloring Book,
- Portrait gallery of early automobiles,
References:
- Designer Clarence P. Hornung, Blog: All Things Ruffenerian, July 12, 2011. Link
- Rare & Beautiful: The Man Who Designed 500 Logos, Website: Designers and Books. November 5, 2013. Link
- The Victory Book Campaign Logo and Clarence P. Hornung, Website: Books for Victory. July 24, 2012. Link
- Obituary, The New York Times, January 3, 1997. Link