Neiman-Marcus, 1955
The “Long Distance Look”
A fashion model using a pay phone: as good a theme as any to build a dress catalog around. Especially for Neiman-Marcus… Continue reading The “Long Distance Look”
Category: 1950s
Neiman-Marcus, 1955
Montgomery Ward, 1953
The Miracle of Photos in a Minute
“Take pictures and see them completely finished in only 1 minute – if it isn’t just the way you want, shoot another one immediately.” Continue reading The Miracle of Photos in a Minute
Heathkit, 1956
Build your own “Computor”
You could build a computer way back in 1956 if you were so inclined! The EC-1 came from Heathkit, and it resembles a modern computer in name only… Continue reading Build your own “Computor”
American Standard Plumbing, 1950
Everything and the Kitchen Sink
It might seem hard to get excited about plumbing fixtures, but just look at this awesome streamlined kitchen from 1950….There’s such a fabulous diner vibe to that round breakfast table that it’s almost hard to focus on the sink! Continue reading Everything and the Kitchen Sink
Sears, 1954
Signed Originals by Famous American Artists
Famous artists? Midcentury design marked such an explosion in style after the restraint of the Second World War.This 1954 Sears catalog offers a textbook in a single page of…fabrics. Continue reading Signed Originals by Famous American Artists
Montgomery Ward, 1958
Start The New Year In The Pink
In 1958, Ward’s introduced new washers and dryers in that most mid-century of colors – pink. Their new washers are “so truly automatic that you’ll spend only 5 minutes of your own time to wash and dry a full 8 lb family load”…
Continue reading Start The New Year In The Pink
Sears Christmas Wishbook, 1958
A New Kind of Christmas Tree
Definition of a fad: you’re lookin’ at it. A Nylon Christmas Tree. “Thousands” of families made or bought them for a little while in the late 1950s. Continue reading A New Kind of Christmas Tree
Sears Christmas Wishbook, 1958
The hot new Christmas Gift for 1958: Velcro!
In 1958, Velcro was brand-new, space-age technology imported from England. The ideal place to use it? Down the front of a man's jacket! At least that's what Sears did for Christmas. Continue reading The hot new Christmas Gift for 1958: Velcro!
Meredith's of Evanston, 1959
How to Be Alone and Like It
For many people, the holidays are a lonely time. Separated from family, isolated from friends. What better way to deal with the holiday blues…than a good game of solitaire! Continue reading How to Be Alone and Like It
Sears Wishbook, 1958
Give your kid a gun for Christmas
We’re talking about a toy gun, to be sure. But compared to our current world, where guns and what to do with them have become a flashpoint of fevered opinions and arguments, it’s breathtaking to behold how different things were 60 years ago. Continue reading Give your kid a gun for Christmas