Charles Harrison, the industrial designer who revolutionised the View-Master toy and the plastic trash can, has passed away aged 87.
Harrison died on 29 November 2018 in Santa Clarita, California, from a bacterial infection, the New York Times reported.
Charles Harrison is celebrated as one of the "first African Americans to enter the design field". Photograph by Rob TarpeyThe late designer is celebrated for paving the way for African-American designers with his reinventions of consumer products.
Among these was his transformation of the View-Master – a photography device that lets users view images in 3D – which turned it from the clunky version first introduced in 1939 into a lightweight, red plastic alternative. Completed in 1958 for small design firm Robert Podall and Associates, the redesign shifted the product from a speciality photography item to a popular children's toy. Harrison is famed for remodelling the View-Master into a popular children's toy. Photograph by Joeffrey TrimminghamOff the back of the successful remodel, Harrison was employed in the design team of American department store chain Sears, Roebuck & Company 1961. He previously applied for a role at the company but had been refused on account of his skin colour. Harrison's hiring made him the first black person to be given a role at the company.
He spent nearly 30 years at the company, progressing to its chief designer and developing over 700 consumer products ...