Sunday, September 7, 2008
Book Boards At School

Inside the front board, the illustration features "John Tards" at a streetlight, looking quite drunk. The streets appear to be cobblestone -- or uniformly lumpy. The city backdrop is darn-near a big city skyline.
On the front free end, beneath the title "Economic of Fr nk Jones" (a teacher, perhaps?), several comic versions of a man's face (also one lady) and the very stylized full-view (from the side) of one man.
These could be attempts to draw very popular comics at the time, but they still please me greatly.
The doodles are presumed to have been made by the former owner, Gordon A. Martin, a university student & an Alpha Psi Delta member (at whatever university was in Grand Forks, North Dakota, at that time).
Labels: 1920s, books, cartooning, comics, cool, illustration, school, vintage
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Why Other Countries Hate It When McDonald's Comes To Town

Photo from a 1986 National Geographic magazine.
Labels: children, humor, vintage magazines
Look Maw...No Anemia!

Lucky for Wilbur the Pig, Charlotte had minored in veterinarian medicine during her years at Wellesley, and was able to save his life by outlining, in her web, a week-long regiment of iron supplements to help his fading health. This is from an ad for anti-pig-anemia medication in 1960. Piglet anemia is a big deal for hog raisers, and in the '60s they used Armidexan, an iron-dextran compound that isn't marketed anymore. Armidexan was produced by Armour Pharmaceuticals, and any meat-lover should make this connection: Armour and Company was king of pre-packaged meats for much of the twentieth century. Tasty, tasty, non-anemic meats.
Labels: armour and company, medical, pigs, science
Friday, September 5, 2008
Pixies On Toadstools & Whiskers On Kittens

Nothing goes better with pixies on toadstools than whiskers on kittens (I know you're singing along!). We'd prefer you had your own cats who would brush their whiskers against the toadstool doorstops, but if not... Here's a vintage kitty -- with whiskers -- pattern; some assembly required.
Labels: brownies elves imps whatever, crafting, free patterns, kitties, retro style
The Unknown Comic - Artist
And no one ever shows up to help me move.

Having a title seems to signify a series -- be it a regular comic series or an ad campaign -- but it's unsigned. The style is so familiar... Capp? Marge? I honestly don't know; neither does Google. If you do, please share.
Here's the bottom portion of the ad, in case that helps.

Labels: 1940s, appliances, cartooning, collecting, comics, illustration, vintage ads, vintage advertising
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
You Know What They Say About Artists With Big Noses

Le blog de mister M is au Francais -- which is, along with a few swear words, about all I know in French (sorry, Mlle Pfister, my high school French teacher) -- so I do not know what he says about this art piece... But I'm pretty sure the "big nose" euphemism is internationally understood.
Labels: art, cool, snot funny, weird
Your Homework

HELLO, JACK!
Thinking about the picture
Is Jack having a good time? How can you tell? What is he doing?
What kind of boy do you think he is? What kind of day is it?
Labels: 1940s, books, childhood, children, homework, old photographs, school, toys, vintage
Nothing Smells As Good As The Radio

Labels: beauty, radio, vintage, weird
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Cobra's Name Is Post-Holiday Tuesday
Monday, September 1, 2008
"Gee, Mom, Them's An Important Collection!"

Click the image to read the scan of this still wonderfully appropriate advice by Clifford Parcher.

Labels: 1940s, childhood, children, collecting, cool, illustration, vintage magazines
Even After Years Of Studying Them

Illustration from Making Words Work, 1942.
Labels: children, humor, illustration, vintage























