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  A N N O T A T I O N S
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PASTELOGRAM is named in honor of the poet Marianne Moore, who was commission- ed by Ford Motor Co. in the 1950s to come up with names for its new mid-priced car. Among her suggestions: “Pastelogram,” “Turco- tinga,” “Silver Sword,” “Resilient Bullet,” “Utopian Turtletop” and the especially cryptic “Mongoose Civique.” Ford declined to use any of these and instead went with “Edsel.” The rest is history.



WE’VE HAD LOTS
of requests asking the Curator: “You’re so darn modest, we don’t know much about you. How about posting a picture or some biographical info? And have I told you about the time I was abducted by aliens?” Well, you get the idea. So here’s a little about our history.

FUN A LA MODE
The old Patent Office applications in the PatentRoom are a soft- serve lesson in history. New on the menu: Tees.


 

COME FLY WITH ME
The early aircraft designs on view at AdventureLounge will take you back, though maybe not all in one piece.



THE ART of Josh Agle. Martinis, girls, guns. Think James Bond meets Jetsons at a tiki bar in Palm Springs.



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   L I N K A T O R I U M
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PRELINGER ARCHIVE
CAR MANUAL PROJECT
AVOCADO MEMORIES
TV LAMPS
KITTY GIRL VINTAGE
IMPERIAL CLUB
1950s CARS IN NORWAY
WALTER MILLER
McLELLAN’S
IMAGINARY WORLD
RAY PATIN STUDIOS
LILEKS I.O.O.C.
SHAG ART
BUICKS.NET
PALACE OF CULTURE
KING OF THE ROAD
BROCHURES ON EBAY
STARBURST
FRANCISCAN OASIS
FRANCISCAN TRIO
SILVER PINE
SOCIETY of
   ILLUSTRATORS

ADVENTURELOUNGE
PATENTROOM

   

MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2006

Dnik Wen A Drof fo

Four breezy sketches from the 1956 Ford Motor Company annual report: The 1957 Fairlane, Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, Lincoln Premiere and Mercury Colony Park.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006

Calling All Trucks (1939)

Cleveland is prouder than ever of its Police Force which is now entirely motorized with the exception of the traffic detail. The city’s Emergency Mobile Patrol is making history by helping daily in the reduction of crime and traffic fatalities. Twelve motor units, fully equipped for double-duty service as ambulances and patrols, are manned by officers all of whom have hospital and first-aid training. Many of them are college graduates. The proved results in greater safety and service are spectacular. All twelve of these new Cleveland Police Patrols are International Model D-2 panel body trucks fitted with radio receiving units, heaters, sirens, spotlights and police identifying lights. Interior equipment includes first-aid kit, stretcher, inhalator and barred rear doors, with heavy screen partition behind driving compartment  . . .

The Cleveland Police Department’s fleet of 1939 Internationals
could be used as ambulances or paddy wagons, depending on the circumstances. Cardiac arrest!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2006

Wings Over Internationals!

A dozen years ago you had to have feathers to travel by air. You could fly, perhaps, as the aviation pioneers did, but when you traveled, it was on the ground. Today, 21 major airlines carry 1,200,000 passengers annually, joining 225 cities in a 30,000 mile network of federally-controlled airways. International Trucks play an important role in ground service to aviation. Gasoline trucks fill the large tanks in the wings  . . .

Illustration from a 1939 ad for International Harvester’s “all-truck trucks”

≈ Onward and Upward

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the support staff at our Web host, the server issue has been resolved. Let the browsing begin. Again. — David

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2006

Goodbye EphemeraNow, Hello Plan59

This post marks the final update for EphemeraNow and the beginning of Plan59.com — same great content, same super prints, same fabulous management, but a brand-new name. One that people can actually remember, not to mention spell, pronounce and understand. eNow was lots of fun. We hope Plan59 will be even funner — David

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006

Demonic Tots, Etc.

The blogosphere has been beating a path to our humble patch of cyberspace lately (we’d love to mix a martini right now, but all we have is this pitcher of metaphors), largely due to the popularity of  Meat and the various ghastly tykes who’ve taken up residence here. To make for more efficient browsing we’ve consolidated them all into a fab new gallery. Try not to get too close to the little piranhas — they’re ravenous.

New Yorker Eight-Passenger Sedan

The interior of the New Yorker Eight-Passenger Sedan has a spaciousness and luxuriousness genuinely appreciated by those who know and enjoy fine possessions. Two wide, cushioned auxiliary seats fold forward out of the way when not in use. Note the strong assist handles and the smoking set on the back of the front seat  . . .

A vestige of the days when touring cars were offered by most of the major automobile brands, the 1953 New Yorker eight-passenger sedan paralleled similar models offered as part of the regular Dodge, Chrysler and DeSoto lines. By 1955 they had all disappeared, leaving the field to Cadillac’s Series 75 sedan and limousine. 

Highlander

Chrysler introduced the Highlander before the war and it is still “an exclusive” of great popularity. The beautiful plaid and rich red leather make the Highlander interior one of the smartest, most distinctive interiors ever designed  . . .

Who do we imagine tootling around in this 1953 Chrysler New Yorker with “Highlander” interior? Tom and Jerry.

The Town and Country

The All-Steel, four-door Town & Country Wagon is the smartest utility vehicle on the road today. The diagrams above illustrate the ingenious design features which contribute so much to its utility and to the comfort and convenience of the passengers. Removable seat for children is available at extra cost  . . .

This 1953 New Yorker Town & Country shows the station wagon in transition from its roots as a limited-production utility car, made from a standard sedan modified with wood body parts, to the all-steel mainstream transportation it became by the end of the decade. 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2006

The Mighty Chrysler for 1957

Glamorous is the word for it! Glamorous in the originality of its design — in the exclusiveness of its Flight-Sweep styling — in the luxury and comfort of its smart interiors — and, in the inherent beauty of its dynamic symmetry  . . .

Today we present four noirish selections from the 1957 Chrysler brochure, which was illustrated by the wonderful Larry Baranovic. 

1957 New Yorker Sedan

Picture yourself in this beautiful Chrysler New Yorker Sedan — a car which has everything of modern, new design. The long, upswept rear fenders; the sculptured wheel openings, the broad, gracefully sloping front fenders; the recessed headlamps; the wide grille and bumpers; and the wrap-around front and rear windows, which blend so beautifully with the graceful lines of the roof  . . .

     
   
     

1957 New Yorker Hardtop Sedan

When you combine the ultra-modern Flight-Sweep styling of the 1957 Chrysler with the engineering excellence for which Chrysler has already won world-wide acclaim, you have the perfect combination — the car of supreme satisfaction. The famous FirePower engine; the sensational new Torsion-Aire Ride; the new Torque-Flite Transmission, with unbelievable quietness and GO  . . .

1957 New Yorker Hardtop Coupe

Glamorous styling and fine designing are evident, too, in the dramatic upward- sweeping rear fenders that terminate in the outward-canted twin-tower taillights; the gracefully sloping rear deck; the shadow-box styled license plate mounting; and the outrigger bumpers that complete the downward unified flow of lines of the tail fins.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2006

Good Taste Is Never Extreme

Certain people have it. Certain things, as well — that sense of rightness we call good taste. You recognize it at once when it is there. It is there in the ’59 Plymouth, in the look, the lines of a car deliberately designed with flair, and with restraint. For good taste is neither stodgy nor bizarre. It is not conspicuous. Nor is it anonymous. It does stand out, yes — but handsomely. This year, so many people of good taste are responding to the car fashioned most particularly for them — the ’59 Plymouth.

Only in 1959 could the Plymouth Fury, a virtual UFO on wheels, reasonably claim to be a model of styling restraint. The target here, while mentioned only elliptically, was clear enough to anyone with eyes: the “bizarre,” “extreme,” radically changed 1959 Chevrolet

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2006

Bohn 1947 48 49

The designers of all types of transportation know the many advantages of light alloys as engineered and produced by Bohn. Bohn Aluminum and Brass Corporation: General Offices — Lafayette Building • Detroit 26, Michigan.

After two days of scanning and resampling, this amazing 1947 illustration for Bohn Aluminum is now available as a razor-sharp continuous-tone print. If we do say so ourselves, it’s stunning. (And we do. Because it really is. If you put your eyeball right up next to the paper, you will not see a bazillion little dots. Just color. Luscious, juicy, irresistibly plummy pigment. We plan to retire on this one.)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2006

Doom Acres

Eight ways your builder gives you more house for the money with fir plywood — Subflooring :: Wall sheathing :: Roof decking :: Paneling :: Built-ins :: Soffits :: Gable ends :: Siding. When you buy or build, accept only DFPA trademarked plywood  . . .

The Douglas Fir Plywood Association’s 1959 ad campaign used black backgrounds, which made for a visually striking if somewhat ominous, even Twilight Zone-ish, series of illustrations.

Dad Does Laundry

See your RCA WHIRLPOOL dealer for a demonstration of the new Mark 12 self-setting washer and matching dryer, in colors or white. Take up to three years to pay  . . .

In 1959 a washing machine cost around $400 and a dryer $300 — pretty much what you might pay today. As a percentage of income, though, the cost was much greater; a professional man might make $7000 a year, and a new mddddddddddddddidprice car was around $3500.

Mom Does Laundry

You can own a brand-new RCA-WHIRLPOOL washer for as little as $1.81 a week, after down payment or trade-in. Exclusive Surgilator agitator gets clothes cleaner  . . .

This illustration and the one above appeared months apart in 1959. Did anyone notice they were in the same house, right down to the green chair and dartboard in the rumpus room? Art by Stan Ekman.

The Fabulous 400

Everything’s where it should be on the exclusive Tappan “Fabulous 400.” Take a good look. Nothing above eye-level, nothing below finger-tip level. And there are new conveniences everywhere: Two Set ’N’ Forget surface units, automatic rotisseries and roast control, chrome-lined ovens  . . .

Tappan’s “400” oven-range combo concealed the burners in a drawer and was popular in older homes and smaller kitchens.

Bathing Beauty

Let’s face it: we all love to luxuriate. This is the place: your bathroom. Even as you stretch out in this luxurious Criterion bath, you can reflect upon how practical was your choice of Crane. The Criterion bath for 1959 surrounds you with splendors: a shape that’s kind to your body  . . .  a color that softens your mood  . . .  handsome Dial-ese controls that turn as smoothly as the dial on your radio  . . .

Once upon a time, kiddies, radios had dials  . . .

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2006

PatentRoom Prints

Our friend Ken over at PatentRoom is now offering prints of vintage patent images, on imported Arches museum-grade art paper. Printed in our very own workrooms, they’re crafted to look like woodcuts and are quite impressive. Especially the pig.

Domestic Bliss

There’s no place like home: Capt. Midnight, the lady of the house and their bathroom.

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