Edward Wormley

[2] After contracting polio in early childhood, which temporarily impaired his mobility until age five and resulted in a permanent limp, his family relocated to Rochelle, Illinois.

[3] In 1926, Wormley briefly studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, but had to leave after three terms due to financial issues.

During the Depression, Wormley was introduced to the president of the Dunbar Furniture Company in Berne, Indiana, who hired him to upgrade their product line.

The relationship was a rocky one: Wormley was frequently insecure, and Crouse struggled with his sexuality, often expressing disgust and despair, and spent periods "Trying to be regular."

[3] In 1944, Dunbar decided to focus strictly on Modern lines, and Wormley began incorporating European and Scandinavian innovations into his work.

His eye for quality and the exacting craftsmanship at Dunbar made for furniture that was elegant, understated and exceptionally well-made.

[citation needed] Wormley's tile-topped tables, created as part of the Janus line in 1957 for the Dunbar Furniture Company, were a partnership between Modern production design aesthetic and the tile traditions of Tiffany and Otto Natzler.