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The Catalog Blog

Cool things from 20th-century American Catalogs

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Category: His

Attack of the Clones
Posted on June 23, 2020

Montgomery Ward, 1936
Attack of the Clones

When art directors attack – you end up with things like this… Continue reading Attack of the Clones

What 50s Teenage Boys Rebelled Against.
Posted on April 7, 2020

Montgomery Ward, 1959
What 50s Teenage Boys Rebelled Against.

1959 may well have the dorkiest era of the 20th century for boys clothes… Continue reading What 50s Teenage Boys Rebelled Against.

Duds for Dad
Posted on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019

Sears Roebuck, 1955
Duds for Dad

Give Him a Collection of Cliches for Christmas! Continue reading Duds for Dad

Blues For Men. (And the occasional gray and brown)
Posted on November 12, 2019November 11, 2019

Chicago Mail Order Company, 1936
Blues For Men. (And the occasional gray and brown)

Photos from the 1930s are all black & white. Men’s actual clothes from the era weren’t much livelier. Continue reading Blues For Men. (And the occasional gray and brown)

G is for Giant
Posted on October 29, 2019

LGB Model Trains, 1990
G is for Giant

Model trains come in different sizes or gauges, from the minuscule Z-gauge to the mighty G-gauge. G might may well stand for “Giant”. These are some big model trains. Continue reading G is for Giant

When giant cars ruled the earth
Posted on July 2, 2019July 2, 2019

Buick, 1966
When giant cars ruled the earth

Buick Automobiles for 1966 We’re talking back in the days when men were men, cars were cars, and women were models. In 1966, size was important. The catalog was oversized (10″ x 13″) because the cars were oversized, and how else would you convey the impact? Look at the dashboard on the Buick Riviera. I … Continue reading When giant cars ruled the earth

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)

“We said it would – and it did”
Posted on March 28, 2019March 28, 2019

Meyer, Wise & Kaichen, 1913
“We said it would – and it did”

Want to move more men’s undies, Mr. Retailer? Continue reading “We said it would – and it did”

Mailmen! Firefighters! Policemen! Here are your shoes!
Posted on March 4, 2019March 3, 2019

Montgomery Ward, 1941
Mailmen! Firefighters! Policemen! Here are your shoes!

Exactly the types of people America expected to see delivering the mail or keeping the neighborhood safe – here they all are, in thrall to a shoe. Continue reading Mailmen! Firefighters! Policemen! Here are your shoes!

Pipe Dreams and Dream Pipes
Posted on February 25, 2019February 24, 2019

Ivan Ries Smokers' Supplies, 1948
Pipe Dreams and Dream Pipes

Some of these were the kind of pipes that My Three Sons would have bought their father, because Father Knows Best about things like smoking… Continue reading Pipe Dreams and Dream Pipes

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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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