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The Catalog Blog

Cool things from 20th-century American Catalogs

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Category: Hers

Fashion in (almost) living color
Posted on November 5, 2019

Chicago Mail Order Company, 1936
Fashion in (almost) living color

If you watch enough old 1930s movies, you can be forgiven for thinking the world once existed only in black and white. So it’s startling to see these 1936 fashions in a riot of colors. Continue reading Fashion in (almost) living color

Modern Women, Modern Fashion.
Posted on September 24, 2019

Sears, 1954
Modern Women, Modern Fashion.

Sears, Spring 1954 The Allies didn’t just liberate Europe after World War II, they liberated women’s fashion if these 1954 Sears pages are anything to go by. Pants, shorts, haltertops, short haircuts and skin are suddenly highly visible in the casualwear pages. Just the thing for the young woman-about-town. Of course, if you were a … Continue reading Modern Women, Modern Fashion.

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

Sturdy Shoes, Sensible Savings
Posted on August 20, 2019August 19, 2019

Sears Roebuck, 1918
Sturdy Shoes, Sensible Savings

In the Wizard of Oz movie, even before Elvira Gulch morphed into the Wicked Witch of the West she scared me, pedaling away furiously on her bicycle wearing tortuous-looking high-laced shoes…like these. Continue reading Sturdy Shoes, Sensible Savings

Going a Bit Too Fur…
Posted on June 11, 2019June 10, 2019

National Cloak and Suit, 1913
Going a Bit Too Fur…

National Cloak and Suit, Fall/Winter 1913-1914 Once upon a time – say, over 100 years ago, groups like PETA didn’t exist and fashionable women wore furs. These two ladies look like influencers from a “Downton Abbey” episode – svelte and chic. The artist who drew them and the printer who printed these color pages did … Continue reading Going a Bit Too Fur…

Pulling the wool over your eyes (and other bits)
Posted on April 4, 2019April 3, 2019

Dr. Jaeger's Sanitary Woolen System, 1913
Pulling the wool over your eyes (and other bits)

Dr. Gustav Jaeger believed in the power of wool for practical clothing. It’s a long trip from the Dr. Jaeger’s “Sanatory Underwear” to the Jaeger fashion house of today… Continue reading Pulling the wool over your eyes (and other bits)

Spring and Summer Hats, in Assorted Colors
Posted on March 21, 2019April 2, 2019

Chicago Mail Order Millinery Company, 1900
Spring and Summer Hats, in Assorted Colors

This early postcard-sized specialty catalog is charming on multiple levels. You can enjoy just how extraordinarily fancy ladies’ hats could be at the dawn of the 21st century – just how many variations and hat accessories there were. Or… Continue reading Spring and Summer Hats, in Assorted Colors

The earliest known Duck Face
Posted on March 7, 2019March 7, 2019

Montgomery Ward, 1941
The earliest known Duck Face

Is that model really making a duck face? She’s ahead of her time… Continue reading The earliest known Duck Face

Past Perfumes, Current Cosmetics
Posted on January 7, 2019January 9, 2019

Sears, 1932
Past Perfumes, Current Cosmetics

These two Sears pages reflect the beauty trends of the moment – the moment in question being 1932. Continue reading Past Perfumes, Current Cosmetics

Girls’ Gifts: Gender Definitions for 1961
Posted on December 10, 2018

White's, 1961
Girls’ Gifts: Gender Definitions for 1961

If there were any doubt about how strongly gender roles and expectations were once ingrained in American lives, this 1961 White’s Christmas catalog should remove all doubt. Continue reading Girls’ Gifts: Gender Definitions for 1961

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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.

The Catalog Blog: Original Content Copyright 2019