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The Catalog Blog

Cool things from 20th-century American Catalogs

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Category: 1960s

Sugarplums Danced
Posted on December 23, 2020December 24, 2020

Sears Roebuck Christmas Catalog, 1965
Sugarplums Danced

What the heck ARE Sugarplums, anyway? I guess I always assumed they were some early 19th-century delicacy now long behind us, but no. Oh wait – look at the TOYS! Continue reading Sugarplums Danced

Those Exotic Americans
Posted on November 29, 2020November 29, 2020

Harrod's, 1967
Those Exotic Americans

Many Americans are infatuated by all things British. The reverse can also be true…Which is why Harrods, the famous London department store, once mounted an exhibition of imported American products. What was intriguingly, luxuriously American? Continue reading Those Exotic Americans

Really into Leather
Posted on June 2, 2020June 1, 2020

Tandy Leather Company, 1961
Really into Leather

Mention the name “Tandy” and people think of RadioShack. But the Tandy family was also really into leather… Continue reading Really into Leather

Pity Poor Penney’s
Posted on May 19, 2020May 19, 2020

J. C. Penney, 1969
Pity Poor Penney’s

And now J.C. Penney has filed for bankruptcy. Let’s look back to happier times, when all was golden & groovy. Continue reading Pity Poor Penney’s

The Simple Joys of Life on the Farm
Posted on May 5, 2020May 5, 2020

Montgomery Ward, 1961
The Simple Joys of Life on the Farm

Coronavirus is making many of us reflect on the possibilities inherent in the simpler, self-sufficient romantic life of the farmer. Let’s check that out, shall we? Continue reading The Simple Joys of Life on the Farm

Round Round Get Around, I Get Around
Posted on February 25, 2020February 25, 2020

Montgomery Ward, 1965
Round Round Get Around, I Get Around

The Beach Boys were singing about cars in 1964 and 1965, but there where plenty of other personal transportation options rolling out. Continue reading Round Round Get Around, I Get Around

What killed off women’s hats?
Posted on January 7, 2020January 6, 2020

Aldens, 1966
What killed off women’s hats?

Aldens, Fall/Winter 1966 For most of the 20th century, women’s hats were a major fashion statement. We’ve shown off various styles in different decades: here and here for example. But suddenly in the 1960s, hats started fading from the pages of catalogs. Why? What killed off women’s hats? Women’s hair. Or – judging from this … Continue reading What killed off women’s hats?

A-door-able Christmas Decorations
Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019

Sears Roebuck, 1965
A-door-able Christmas Decorations

Holiday decoration have been in an arms race in for decades now. The early years of the outdoor decoration derby were charmingly simple. And plastic. Continue reading A-door-able Christmas Decorations

“And what are you supposed to be?”
Posted on October 15, 2019October 14, 2019

Collegeville / Woolworth, 1967
“And what are you supposed to be?”

Collegeville (Woolworth), 1967 All I’m sayin’ is that cosplay was once a lot simpler. Halloween costumes from the late 1960s were typically a plastic mask, a glorified pair of pajamas, and maybe a wig. That’s if you were lucky and your mom took you to Woolworth’s, where you could purchase an off-model Bugs Bunny. If … Continue reading “And what are you supposed to be?”

Style Starts Early
Posted on September 3, 2019

Neiman-Marcus, 1960
Style Starts Early

Neiman’s reels them in at a young age, with the kind of outfits you might see on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s children. Continue reading Style Starts Early

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We're celebrating all the abundance and excitement found in vintage 20th century American catalogs: the exotic, the fashionable, the surprising, the latest, the coolest, the cheapest, the oddest, the choices.

Not just Sears and Montgomery Wards, You could buy anything from a catalog in the 20th century: from a box of raisins to a house, from a computer to a car, from a billy club to an inflatable brassiere. The old-time printed catalogues which arrived in the mailbox showed the 20th-century American Consumer just how to consume.

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