Chevrolet Bowtie History

     The Chevrolet Bowtie has been one of the World’s most recognized trademarks since 1913, when William C. Durant first introduced the symbol that represents Chevrolet’s winning success!
     We have all heard the legend how Durant copied the bowtie design from the wallpaper in a Paris Hotel. The Chevrolet Story, printed in 1961, told the story this way: 

“It originated in Durant’s imagination when, as a world traveler in 1908, he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on wallpaper in a French hotel. He tore off a piece of the wallpaper and kept it to show friends 
with the thought that it would make a good nameplate for a car.”

Wife Always Has The Last!
 Margery Durant in her book. My Father wrote in 1929 her version of how her father designed the Chevrolet Bowtie: “As in the case of the Buick, my father drew name-plates on pieces of 
paper at the dinner table. I think it was between the soup and the fried 
chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the 
Chevrolet car to this day.”
 According to Mrs. Durant, the bowtie emblem was first seen by her husband in an illustrated Virginia newspaper, while they were vacationing in Hot Springs, Virginia around 1912. Mrs. Durant was quoted as recalling, “We were in a suite reading the papers, and he saw this design and said, ‘I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet’ ” She did not explain how the newspaper used the emblem.
     The 75th Anniversary issue of The Chevrolet Story, 1986, gave both bowtie story versions with the comment that Billy Durant, himself, confirmed the Paris hotel story, which was later refuted by his wife with the Sunday newspaper in Virginia story. Chevrolet Media Productions then wrapped things up by writing: “Whatever the source, the Bowtie proved to be a recognizable winner, and is still the marquee of today’s Chevrolet.”
     The source of Mrs. Durant’s account is Lawrence R Gustin, who interviewed Catherine Durant for his book, Billy Durant. Creator of General Motors, 1973, and recorded her story of the bowtie in this book.