Viktor Schreckengost, a pioneer of modern industrial design whose career spanned 75 years and whose influence —through design, art and education—has left an indelible mark on modern America. A small-town potter who began his career during the Great Depression, he championed the middle-class consumer, believing that good design didn’t have to come at a high price.
Always in tune with changing fashions, Viktor imbued his creations with the spirit of their generation: the Jazz Bowl, originally commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1930 is now an Art Deco icon; the Murray pedal car, a staple of baby-boomer childhoods; and American Limoges’ Flower Shop dinnerware, considered so representative of its time that the American Girl™ 1940’s doll Molly is sold with a tea set based on the design.
From the 1930s-1970s, Viktor maintained full-time careers in teaching and industrial design in addition to creating products for Murray, Sears, General Electric, and Harris Printing, among others. His greatest impact on the American cultural landscape comes arguably through his industrial designs and his influence as a teacher on modern industrial designers.
Viktor was raised in Sebring, Ohio and attended the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art). Viktor turned 100 years-old this year.