Eastman Kodak, 1937
Black Friday Starts Now
This Kodak flyer from 1937 is the opening trickle of a subsequent flood of future Black Friday madness. Continue reading Black Friday Starts Now
Category: Gifts and Gizmos
Eastman Kodak, 1937
Sears, 1987
When Boxes Boomed
Behold that mighty marvel of miniaturization: two speakers, cassette tape recorder, AM FM radios, equalizer – the Boom Box. Continue reading When Boxes Boomed
Cine-Art, 1929
In the days before Netflix
Before Netflix, there was blockbuster. Before video, there was film. And always, there was porn… Continue reading In the days before Netflix
S&H, 1981
Ancient History…from 1981
A few years back there was a reporter who noticed that virtually every gadget pictured in a Radio Shack newspaper ad from 1991 could now be replaced by iPhone apps. With these two pages from a 1981 S&H Green Stamps catalog, we’re almost in the same place… Continue reading Ancient History…from 1981
Montgomery Ward, 1976
Feeling Moody?
The big fashion fad of 1975 had to be the “Mood Ring” that changed color depending on your “mood”… Continue reading Feeling Moody?
Albert Brothers Jewelry, 1916
A Jewel of a Watch
This Cincinnati wholesale jeweler’s catalog boasts many pages of rings and other jewelry, and a few stunning color pages like this one of Howard watches. Continue reading A Jewel of a Watch
Top Value Stamps, 1969
The Sky’s the Limit
Top Value Stamps, 1969: You might expect to buy a model train made of diamonds from a catalog if the company is Neiman-Marcus, but would you expect to buy a full-size plane from a Top Value trading stamps catalog? Continue reading The Sky’s the Limit
Edmund Scientific, 1974
Personal Computers, Just Before the Flood
Snapshot from a moment in history – the year before the start of the personal computer revolution and this 1974 Edmund Scientific catalog devoted their back cover to “computers.” […] Continue reading Personal Computers, Just Before the Flood
Bernard-Hewitt, 1928
The Dollar Store – 1928 style
What could you buy for a buck in 1928? Certainly the product options were a lot different that you’d find in a dollar store today, judging by this page… Continue reading The Dollar Store – 1928 style
Kodak, 1914
“All you could wish for” in a 1914 camera
Ease, convenience, quality, reliability – these are features any gadget aspires to. Eastman Kodak placed those attributes on the first page of their Premo camera catalog of 1914. They were valuable attributes in 1914; they are valuable attributes in the 21st century. What’s changed us how we measure these attributes…. Continue reading “All you could wish for” in a 1914 camera