Body by Fisher Ads

From its beginning in the horseless carriage shop in Norwalk, Ohio (hence the logo), to its final sale to General Motors, the Fisher Body Company was built by the Fisher brothers into one of the world’s largest manufacturing companies. They produced bodies for a whole range of American car companies including Cadillac, Buick, Studebaker and yes, even Ford, before General Motors purchased 60 percent of the company in 1919. The six Fisher brothers sold their remaining shares to GM in 1926, becoming incredibly wealthy in the process, to the tune of $88 million dollars!

In their heyday, the company owned 160,000 acres of timberland and used more wood, carpet, tacks, and thread than any other manufacturer in the entire world. Fisher had over 40 plants and employed more than 100,000 people, and pioneered many improvements in tooling and automobile design including the slanted windshield, closed all-weather bodies (incl. the metal turret top), and dual wipers.

General Motors also ran some very modern Fisher Body print ad campaigns that were very well known and featured emerging talent illustrators and photographers. I’ve included a few great samples from the 1930s, 40s and 50s below.

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