ABSTRACT
The initial chapter will explore early examples of corporate patrons committed to providing cultural resources to their employees and communities. The most notable examples include Saltaire founded in 1851 just outside Bradford; the Birmingham suburb of Bournville, founded by George Cadbury in 1879; and William Lever’s Port Sunlight from 1888, where a self-contained company town included an art gallery and theater. Port Sunlight represents a holistic approach to community planning where all the needs of the worker were anticipated and designed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the Container Corporation of America and Chicago as a nexus for art and commerce. The role of museums in advocating for good design is also discussed as well as the advent of photography as a bridge between art and commerce.
