(1893 – 1969) Industrial designer and head of styling at General Motors (1926–59), Earl was responsible for the general trends in American automobile styling from the 1920s to the end of the 1950s, most notably for the excesses of fins, chromium, curved glass and other styling details of post-Second World War American car design. Earl gave buyers a little Hollywood glamour and individuality at massproduction prices in designs that captured the optimistic, technological zeitgeist, appealing to the dreams and aspirations of the rapidly expanding, affluent middle class. Earl’s department was also responsible for most GM designs, including buses, trains and home appliances.