In working on an academic project I came across some gorgeous advertisements that provide a fascinating window into American culture, automobiles, and technologies of daily life right after the Armistice. There are car manufacturers in here that I've never even heard of before. It's a rare glimpse into the early days of the auto industry, when variety was more prevalent, and manufacturers claimed seniority for having been in operation 19 years! I thought these might interest some of you, so I'm posting them here.
The images below come from the April and May 1919 numbers of Scribner's Magazine, an American literary periodical. My colleagues have asked that I credit the Modernist Journals Project --
http://modjourn.org -- but the images are in the public domain. The project digitizes avant-garde and mainstream literary magazines from the early 20th Century and makes them freely available to the public.
I've included a select few below, but you can see a larger set in my Flickr profile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27646912@N00/sets/72157622040043754/Jeff
Sexy ScienceI've noticed that "scientific" is a selling point for many automobiles and other household technologies. Who knew that science could be so sexy?
Click Here for Full SizeGoing GreenThe Franklin automobile and Stromberg carburator for performance and economy.
Click Here for Full SizeClick Here for Full SizeBeauty & Goodness: NationalClick Here for Full SizeHeavy TruckingDouble reduction gear drive for the leverage of chain and sprocket:
Click Here for Full SizeAutomotive SuppliesPantasote car tops: check out the number of brands they can be found in. Heard of all these?
Click Here for Full SizeRaybestos: quality brake lining.
Click Here for Full SizePrest-O-Lite: the best-engineered battery.
Click Here for Full SizeDomesticity & TechnologyThe Arco vacuum system, apparently a set of pipes installed throughout the house, powered by a central motor, and you plug in the wand where you want to clean.
Click Here for Full SizeRoof shingles spelled Olde-Timey but without British "Colour," and made of the deadly substance we now pay people extraordinary amounts of money to remove.
Click Here for Full SizeThis ad for curled-hair mattresses creeps me the heck out.
Click Here for Full SizeBeech-Nut, for the distinguished palates of jelly connoisseurs (isn't it baby food now?).
Click Here for Full SizeAnd my personal favorite: Grape Nuts, for keeping little girls round and rosy.
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