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The Catalog Blog

Cool things from 20th-century American Catalogs

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Category: Hers

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

His and Hers, Hides and Furs
Posted on December 6, 2018December 6, 2018

Neiman-Marcus, 1976
His and Hers, Hides and Furs

In 1976, the year of America’s bicentennial, Neiman-Marcus hit a perfect note for their his and hers gift – real live Buffalos. Continue reading His and Hers, Hides and Furs

Mother’s Little Helpers
Posted on October 18, 2018October 17, 2018

Spiegel, 1959
Mother’s Little Helpers

Americans, we love our medicines. That sounds strange, but we have always looked to nostrums like these that could cure us of our ills. Continue reading Mother’s Little Helpers

What Makes a Woman Swoon?
Posted on October 4, 2018January 31, 2019

Top Value Stamps, 1957
What Makes a Woman Swoon?

“Heavily Silverplated Flatware”, evidently. Just look at her rapturous gaze! Continue reading What Makes a Woman Swoon?

What the Modern Bride was Wearing
Posted on October 1, 2018

Chicago Mail Order, 1941
What the Modern Bride was Wearing

Chicago Mail Order, 1941 An outfit for “Today’s Bride” of 1941, virtually as streamlined as any 1941 warplane. Because the bride was practical, the wedding gown was two-piece — ditch the coat and wear the sleeveless gown alone to dances. Because “all eyes (are) on your figure as you walk down the aisle” everything is … Continue reading What the Modern Bride was Wearing

The “Long Distance Look”
Posted on August 20, 2018August 19, 2018

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”

“Stop Traffic – Go Spring Fashion”
Posted on July 30, 2018July 30, 2018

Fredrick's of Hollywood, 1965
“Stop Traffic – Go Spring Fashion”

It shocked me to learn Fredrick’s of Hollywood was the largest purveyor of lingerie before Victoria’s Secret. It shocked me to look at these pages and see the ancient sexism and tawdry attitudes… Continue reading “Stop Traffic – Go Spring Fashion”

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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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