Vintage

Fireworks, or Bombshells. You Choose.

Well, it’s Fourth of July weekend here in America and that means people are blowing up their hard earned money with fireworks. I like fireworks, well the professional ones that is. Don’t get me wrong if you want to blow shit up in your backyard to show the world how patriotic you are that’s fine. I’m not going to stop you. I just prefer to spend my money on things that aren’t going to go up in smoke, or run the risk of causing me pain and possible dismemberment. So you can celebrate the nation’s birthday with fireworks, or you can feast your eyes on pin-up girls sporting the red white and blue and in some cases holding fireworks. Frankly, I think I prefer looking at leggy gals sporting an outfit made from old glory and holding explosives. So here we have movie stars, models, and illustrations of just that. By the way, 1960’s bombshell Raquel Welch, and 1940’s Broadway star Anne Miller seem to have been very popular icons for the 4th.

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Nina Roman

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Dorothy Arnold

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Happy Fourth of July

Postcards from the early 20th century have always fascinated me. There is something about the stylistic quality of the illustration and design, but more over it’s usually the language or the message that is represented. The postcard below is from about 1910 I’m thinking. There was no date on it so it’s hard to tell, but the look Seems to say 1900 to maybe 1914. It is a cautionary message about the perils of the 4th that have been with us since the Chinese invented fireworks. It’s also an advertisement pitching “take a photo of your kid before he kills himself celebrating the birth of our nation”.

So here we are about 100 years later. Mom’s and Dad’s in places where fireworks are legal… bust out your camera and take a photo of your kid this morning before it’s too late. Happy Fourth of July!

See America.

There is something about the style of classic travel posters from the 1930’s that feels timeless, and classic. The reduced color pallets, and posterized style of the illustrations make you want to get out and explore far away and exotic spaces. Illustrator Steven Thomas created a number of Travel posters in his See America series for the Print Collection. The posters are done in that same classic spirit of travel posters from years gone by. The imagery and style feels vintage and still manages to feel fresh and inviting. With the first day of summer just two weeks away, these make me want to get out and see the great expanse of the American landscape.

Nothing says “Thanksgiving” Like Pin-Up Girls.

Behold, Marilyn Monroe, Ester Williams, Barbara Bates, and other fetching pin-up beauties scantily clad with turkeys! Why because it’s almost Thanksgiving and nothing says “Holiday Cheer” like pin-up queens with turkeys.