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The Catalog Blog

Cool things from 20th-century American Catalogs

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Category: Around the House

Bicentennial Furniture Fireworks
Posted on February 14, 2019February 14, 2019

Montgomery Ward, 1976
Bicentennial Furniture Fireworks

Yes, this must why America fought for independence – the right to select your own furniture, no matter how hideous. Continue reading Bicentennial Furniture Fireworks

Getting overheated over a Coldspot
Posted on January 31, 2019February 4, 2019

Sears, 1954
Getting overheated over a Coldspot

In catalogs, major kitchen appliances can make women literally dance with joy. This housewife is doing the tarantella with a strawberry shortcake thanks to her Coldspot… Continue reading Getting overheated over a Coldspot

Stuff
Posted on January 21, 2019

Niresk Industries, 1960
Stuff

Looking at this Niresk catalog, I’m reminded of the late comic George Carlin’s genius observations on “stuff.” Most of the stuff in this 1960 Niresk catalog is, just…well…cheap stuff. And this stuff has stuff stuffed into it, no less. Continue reading Stuff

How the other half pooped.
Posted on January 17, 2019

Sears, 1932
How the other half pooped.

In 1930 well over a third of American houses didn’t even have a flush toilet, according to some estimates. Continue reading How the other half pooped.

“Frost-browned heather seen through the purplish haze of a sunny afternoon”
Posted on January 14, 2019

Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company, 1929
“Frost-browned heather seen through the purplish haze of a sunny afternoon”

You might just say “This is a brown sink.” Obviously you’re not a 1920s copywriter besotted with the romance of porcelain bathroom appliances… Continue reading “Frost-browned heather seen through the purplish haze of a sunny afternoon”

“For the Hostess…Bright Kitchen Wares”
Posted on January 10, 2019

S&H Green Stamps, 1981
“For the Hostess…Bright Kitchen Wares”

All this glistening copper (glistening until you put your fingerprints all over it, anyway) is a quintessentially 1980s thing, and so is the layout of the product photography… Continue reading “For the Hostess…Bright Kitchen Wares”

New Organ = New Life
Posted on January 4, 2019January 3, 2019

Spiegel, 1959
New Organ = New Life

Not in any medical sense. This is the “family that plays together, stays together” sense. Continue reading New Organ = New Life

Depression Expression
Posted on December 3, 2018

Sears, 1932
Depression Expression

Would you really “make the kiddies happy” showing up in a “heavily waxed” Santa mask? I think this is just one step away from a scary clown. Continue reading Depression Expression

There she is, Mrs America
Posted on November 15, 2018November 14, 2018

Gold Bell Stamps, 1963
There she is, Mrs America

There’s no better way to sell to the average dreams of the everyday housewife than to show them an idealized version to aspire to. Continue reading There she is, Mrs America

Swept Her off Her Feet…
Posted on November 8, 2018

Larkin & Co, 1924
Swept Her off Her Feet…

Milady is cleaning in a silk dress and pearls, thanks to a ” Sweet Home Electric Vacuum Cleaner”. Continue reading Swept Her off Her Feet…

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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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