What to call these men who, in decades past, did fearsome things for a purpose and did so with utter aplomb? While dangerously close to yes men, the term yestermen works for me. He’s the man who saves the woman from falling off of Mt. Rushmore–all without taking off his tie. The polar opposite would… Continue reading Yestermen With Titanium Balls: F. Bert Farquharson at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, 1940
Category: Periods
Search specific decades for cutaway drawings.
From Happy Beer to Glum Tick Spray
So what happened here. How, in the span of 19 years, did we go from this to that? The first image is from a beer ad dated October 31, 1949. The second image is from a tick spray ad dated August 9, 1968. Most people might actually be more familiar with the 1949 image. It’s… Continue reading From Happy Beer to Glum Tick Spray
Bratty Kids and the Authoritarian Voice
This 2008/9 commercial for Van de Kamp’s fish is another indicator of a cultural shift. Yes, the kid is a mouthy, disrespectful brat–kids are kids, and they have always been kids*. So that’s not the point. Point is that in this commercial we’re saying, “The kid is right!” No longer is there an authoritarian voice,… Continue reading Bratty Kids and the Authoritarian Voice
The Center Cannot Hold
At some point in the mid-1960s, we start to see non-centeredness. This ad for Chevrolet “OK” Used Cars from 1968 is a prime example. The green box has been added by me. What’s at the center? Usually, the most important information is at the center of the image. But here we’ve got a bored kid… Continue reading The Center Cannot Hold
Destroying My Last Memory Cell
My search for this elusive song began in 1981, when I was 17 years old. The song itself was rather unremarkable. If I had to describe it, I would say that it was a peppy cha-cha-esque instrumental song from the 1960s. I can never know when that song entered my mind. Using my writerly imagination… Continue reading Destroying My Last Memory Cell