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A Post-War Primer on Mother Nature
(L) Vintage illustration Little Golden Book “We Help Daddy” 1962 illustration by Eloise Wilkin (R) Vintage ad for Pesticides for garden pests Birds and the Bees First day of spring conjures up a...
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Travels to Russia
(R) Vintage travel poster tours in Soviet Union Crimea A Soviet Spring Vacation Sadly spring break in Siberia is now off-limits to Senator John McCain and other US Representatives thanks to Vladimir...
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Ageing Shocker
In a gesture of maturity- though with about as much enthusiasm as swallowing a bitter pill- I finally came to grips this recent birthday with being referred to as “middle aged.” So it was a shock to...
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Matriculating into Marriage Pt II
Vintage ad 1948 Cavalier Cedar Chests -Perfect to pack away all your lovely things for your new married life. Looks like the gal graduate in this ad was one smart cookie and not just because she earned...
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Decorating With DDT
Just as mid-century garden nurseries were busy preparing for spring, filling their shelves with packets of seeds and cans of DDT, so American parents were diligently decorating their baby nurseries...
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The Great American Slip Up
Vintage Illustration 1951 Americans seem to love the opportunity to embarrass themselves…almost as much as we love to watch ‘em. And if there is money involved so much the better. Between the internet...
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Learning to Count – Equal Pay Day
Vintage Schoolbook Illustrations While learning how to count in elementary school …we also learned who counted. Instructions in arithmetic, the school books informed the reader, were geared “to help...
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The Occidental Oriental
Vintage Ad Chun King American Chinese Food 1957 My Mom was one smart cookie…fortune cookie that is. When my mid-century Mom wanted to go exotic..she’d go Oriental and thanks to Chun King canned chow...
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You’ve Come a Long Way Peggy Olson
Mad Men’s Peggy Olson Big Time Career Girl (R) Vintage DC Comics“This is the big chance I’ve been waiting for! I mustn’t fail this time! Not love or anything else is going to keep me from success!” We...
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Then and Now: Mad Men World of 1969
Photo by Michael Varish/AMC As Mad Men finishes its bumpy ride through the tumultuous decade of the 1960s it makes an anything but a soft landing in 1969, splashing down in laid back do your own thing...
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Passover Tears
Like Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix produced no tears. That dehydrated marvel of mid-century cookery was a staple in my Mothers repertoire. Mom joined the legion of...
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Gender Pay Gap Benefits
“Men in Charge” collage by Sally Edelstein Republican activist Phyllis Schlafly has some advise for all the single ladies out there. Quit yer whining about the gender pay gap! All you husband hunting...
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Chocolate Easter Bunnies
Vintage ad Whitman’s Sampler for Easter 1951 For some, Easter is all about the candy Candy manufacturers have all hopped on the Easter candy bandwagon by painting some pastel colors on their usual year...
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Post War Pesticides on Parade
1954 advertisement Breathe Easier Mid Century America was the golden age of pesticides and it was love at first sight. Any thoughts about Earth Day and the environment lay far in the future. Thousands...
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Salute to Secretary’s Day
Vintage ad 1953 IBM Electric Typewriter “Typing all day is easy and effortless. At 5 o’clock you’ll look fresh and free from fatigue” Who can forget the halcyon days when Administrative...
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The Flintstones at the NY Worlds Fair
The Flintstones at the New York Worlds Fair 1965 Official Souvenir copyrighted 1964 Hanna -Barbera If the NY Worlds Fair of 1939/40 was like stepping into the land of Oz, the 1964/ 65 Worlds Fair was...
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The Flintstones at the Worlds Fair Pt II
Vintage Comic Book “The Flintstones at the New York Worlds Fair” 1965 Official Souvenir copyrighted 1964 Hanna -Barbera The NY Worlds Fair in 1964/65 attracted a boatload of luminaries, but none more...
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Mexican Mid-Century Style
“Reach for Your Sombrero…and go to your grocers pronto for this gay and colorful treat “Manana just isn’t soon enough. Surprise your family with this corn with the Latin touch tonight.” Vintage Green...
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Like Mother, Like Daughter
Vintage ad Reynolds Wrap 1954 Mid century mothers and daughters were clearly tied together not only by their apron strings but the same set of cultural expectations. Not only did they share darling...
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Man and Machines
Illustration from an article entitled The Machine and the Depression” February 1933 issue of “Everyday Science and Mechanics” Are machines after your job? A struggling middle class grappling with...
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