Charles Harrison was one of the 27 Chicago Designers and worked for Sears, Roebuck and Co., for nearly 30 years, from 1961 to 1993. Harrison was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on September 23, 1931. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1954, and completed his Masters in 1963 at Illinois Institute of Technology. After graduating from the Art Institute, he worked for the design firm Robert Podall and Associates, where in 1958, he collaborated on re-designing the popular View-Master. At Sears, he designed many household objects, like garbage cans, scissors and hairdryers. Harrison also served as adjunct faculty at several institutions, including the University of Illinois at Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. In 2006, he published an autobiography called "A Life's Design."
The collection includes examples of Charles Harrison's work from his time at Sears. There are design sketches, blueprints and product presentation boards, along with several awards received during his time with Sears. There are also samples of the work of several of his colleagues, including: C.G. Bjorncrants, A.W. Duncan, C.D. Dushek, A. Eckel, Jon Hauser, Ronald W. Guttenberg, Lasseigne, R.G. Martelet, Reinecke and Associates, Ray Roberts and R. Runszy.
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Series I
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| Box | Folder |
| 1 Oversize | 1 | Harrison design: bags for storage, undated |
| 2 | Harrison design: bars, portable, undated |
| 3 | Harrison design: bicycle, stationary, undated |
| 4 | Harrison design: blenders, super, undated |
| 5 | Harrison design: can opener, undated |
| 6 | Harrison design: campers, undated |
| 7 | Harrison design: chairs, steno and executive, 1965-1975 |
| 8 | Harrison design: clocks, electric wall, 1986 |
| 9 | Harrison design: curling iron, 1978 |
| 10 | Harrison design: desk, 1967 |
| 11 | Harrison design: hair clipper, motor driver, 1970 |
| 12 | Harrison design: hair curlers, 1978-1979 |
| 13 | Harrison design: hair dryer, portable, 1965-1990 |
| 14 | Harrison design: hair vacuum, undated |
| 15 | Harrison design: massager, back with heat, 1975 |
| 16 | Harrison design: mixer, electric portable, 1969 |
| 17 | Harrison design: mops, wet, 1962 |
| 18 | Harrison design: organ, children's, 1962 |
| 19 | Harrison design: phonograph, 1972-1973 |
| 20 | Harrison design: recorder, cassette, 1977 |
| 21 | Harrison design: scissors, electric, 1973 |
| 22 | Harrison design: sewing machine, portable case, 1971-1995 |
| 23 | Harrison design: shoe buffer, 1968-1971 |
| 24 | Harrison design: speaker, 1972 |
| 25 | Harrison design: spindles (table legs), 1972-1973 |
| 26 | Harrison design: toasters, 1968-1976 |
| 27 | Harrison design: toothbrush, electric, undated |
| 28 | Harrison design: wall unit shelving, 1970-1975 |
| 29 | Harrison design: whirlpool, drop-in unit, 1973-1979 |
| 30 | Harrison design: window guards, 1975-1985 |
| 31 | Harrison design: make-up cases. 1975-1976 |
| 32 | Harrison design: for YWCA, 1970 |
| 33 | C. G. Bjorncrantz blueprints: Kenmore kitchen stove, 1949 |
| 34 | A. W. Duncan blueprints: Kenmore kitchen stove and Coldspot soda fount, 1947-1951 |
| 35 | A. Eckel blueprints: coffee pot and toaster, 1969-1977 |
| 36 | Jon Hauser design: toaster, 1944 |
| 37 | Reinecke and Associates blueprints: paint brushes, 1969 |
| 38 | Unidentified design sketches and assorted photographs, undated |
| Box | Folder |
| 2 | 39 | Missing (March 2006) Harrison design: clothes hamper, undated |
| 40 | Missing (March 2006) Harrison design: heater/sunlamp, undated |
| 41 | Missing (March 2006) Harrison design: radio, 1964 |
| 42 | Missing (March 2006) Harrison design: shaver, electric, 1971 |
| 43 | List of Harrison's co-workers, undated |
| 44 | C.D. Dushek blueprints: shutter hinges and waster disposer, 1969-1971 |
| 45 | R.G. Martelet design: glass bathroom shelf, undated |
| 46 | book: Don Reidys' "Ideas for Your Sketch", 1976 |
| 47 | Sears Product Development award: general, 1975 and AM/FM 8 Track In-dash radio, 1976 |
| 48 | Sears Product Development award: Sewing Machine Heads, 1977 |
| 49 | Sears Partners in Progress award, 1985 |
| Box | Folder |
| 3 | 50 | Sears Partners in Progress award, 1986 |
| 51 | International Review of American Art, v. 13, no. 1, pgs 1-69 and CD, 1999 |
| 52 | Masters Thesis: An Exploration of Fragmented Wood Forms, IIT, 1963 |
| 53 | Patents, 1963-1981 |
| 54 | Certificates, 1987-1997 |
| 55 | Industrial Design VHS, 18 minutes, undated |
| 56 | IDI and You, American Designers Institute by-laws, undated |
| 57 | Script for "Labor of the Future" slide show, by Verna Jackson, 1980 |
| Box | Folder |
| 4 | 103 | slides for "Labor of the Future" presentation, 1980 |
| Box | Folder |
| Oversized | 58 | Harrison/Coleman report on tractors, 1988 |
| 59 | Newspaper articles on Harrison, 1993 |
| 60 | Harrison blueprints: hair dryer and record changer, 1963 |
| 61 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: sewing machine, auto-focus film, 1972-1981 |
| 62 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: camera, office equipment, kitchen design, 1981 |
| 63 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: energy efficiency, dishwasher, 1972 |
| 64 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: dishwasher, 1972 |
| 65 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: dishwasher, 1972 |
| 66 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: baby crib, 1973 |
| 67 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: baby crib, 1973 |
| 68 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: sewing machine, 1972 |
| 69 | Ronald W. Guttenberg promotional materials: sewing machine, 1972 |
| 70 | Harrison promotional materials: fences. 1973 |
| 71 | Ray Roberts D/833 camera, Lasseigne D/632 camera, Guttenberg materials, 1973 |
| 72 | Runszy and Guttenberg promotional materials, undated |
| Box | Folder |
| Oversize | 73 | D/603 camera promotional materials, undated |
| 74 | D/603 camera presentation materials: uses and new features, undated |
| 75 | D/603 camera presentation materials: the future of cameras, undated |
| 76 | D/603 camera presentation materials: target marketing, undated |
| 77 | D/603 camera presentation materials: side-by-side competition in Brand Central, undated |
| 78 | D/603 camera presentation materials: packing design and spotlighting, undated |
| 79 | D/603 camera presentation materials: LXI and brand image, undated |
| 80 | D/603 camera presentation materials: brand image, undated |
