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  A N N O T A T I O N S
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PASTELOGRAM is named in honor of the poet Marianne Moore, who wascommission- ed by Ford Motor Co. in the 1950s to come up with names for its new mid-priced car. Among her suggestions: “Pastelogram,” “Turco- tinga,” “Silver Sword,” “Resilient Bullet,” “Utopian Turtletop” and the especially cryptic “Mongoose Civique.” Ford declined to use any of these and instead went with “Edsel.” The rest is history.

WE’VE HAD LOTS
of requests asking the Curator: “You’re so darn modest, we don’t know much about you. How about posting a picture or some biographical info? And have I told you about the time I was abducted by aliens?” Well, you get the idea. So here’s a little about our history.

FUN A LA MODE
The old Patent Office applications in the PatentRoom are a soft- serve lesson in history. New on the menu: Tees.


 

COME FLY WITH ME
The early aircraft designs on view at AdventureLounge will take you back, though maybe not all in one piece.



ARE YOUR SCANS limp, lifeless, lacking pep and vim? Visit ScanTips for fast, safe, effective relief.



THE ART
of Josh Agle. Martinis, girls, guns. Think James Bond meets Jetsons at a tiki bar in Palm Springs.

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   L I N K A T O R I U M
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PRELINGER ARCHIVE
CAR MANUAL PROJECT
IMPERIAL CLUB
WALTER MILLER
McLELLAN’S
IMAGINARY WORLD
RAY PATIN STUDIOS
LILEKS I.O.O.C.
SHAG ART
BUICKS.NET
PALACE OF CULTURE
KING OF THE ROAD
BROCHURES ON EBAY
STARBURST
FRANCISCAN OASIS
FRANCISCAN TRIO
SILVER PINE
SOCIETY of
   ILLUSTRATORS

ADVENTURELOUNGE
PATENTROOM
 





 



 



 

 


 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

≈ In Memoriam

A real class act ended her run the morning of July 15, and the world is now a much emptier place. We miss you, Mom.


FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005

≈ Schlitz With Food and Fun and Sun!

What a wonderful way to put thirst in the shade. Schlitz! World over, more people choose this superb refresher than any other beer, at any price. Schlitz is the smart way to cool off. It fills thirst, but never you. Brisk, stand-up flavor, smoothed by just the kiss of the hops. All beer, and yet light. So light  . . .

≈ Playtime’s Largest-Selling Beer!

Is there a finer cooling system under the sun? Schlitz! So light and refreshing. Whirls lightly through the thirstiest thirst. Schlitz is a well-planned secret. Sympathetic brewing. Skill that brings out flavor with just the kiss of the hops. So well-suited to the modern taste. Never, never filling. (Even with charcoal-broiled steaks!)

≈ Leisure’s Light Refresher!

Half the fun of today’s light living is the light foods and less-filling beverages that let you keep pace. Refreshment that brightens leisure. Schlitz enters in so well. This light refresher is brewed precisely right for modern tastes. Never filling, not a bit bitter, its delicate flavor is smoothed by just the kiss of the hops. Schlitz fills your need for refreshment, but never you, not even at mealtimes  . . .

From 1956, a beer trifecta from Jos. Schlitz Brewing of Milwaukee. (Note mid-century progenitors of iPod and portable video.) Schlitz, the world’s best-selling beer in 1956, was acquired by Stroh Brewing in 1982 and is now a Pabst brand, available in a handful of states.


WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2005

≈ The Secret That Was Kept Four Billion Years

Secrets about the invisible and mysterious atoms that whirled through space to form the universe are now being revealed. Just as nature made its gigantic solar system, present-day scientists, by reshuffling the at0ms, are making miniature solar systems in the form of new molecules that become synthetic organic chemicals  . . .

From 1940, an illustration for Union Carbide’s Carbide and Carbon Chemicals division. No Photoshop, no cgi, just a paintbrush and paint, and they were able to come up with this. Not too shabby.


TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2005

Newest New Car of the Year

IT’S THE 1941 De SOTO  . . .  and what a car it is! Seventeen feet, four inches of automobile. Long, low-slung, rakish  . . .  with a front end so beautiful it makes you tingle just to see it! De Soto hugs the road — “floats” over rough spots. Power galore — effortless performance. De Soto Fluid Drive now combined with the new Simplimatic Transmission — gives you full Automatic Shifting for all normal driving! New, longer, wider Rocket Bodies!  Rich, spacious Two-Tone Interiors with Form-Rest Seats  . . .

DeSoto’s stopgap answer to the Oldsmobile Hydra-Matic transmission, Simplimatic shifting allowed for clutch-free driving in most situations. The 1941 model year marked the debut of a DeSoto styling hallmark for many years, the waterfall grille.


≈ First Choice of the Pros

People look to the “pro” — the man who makes his living in any line — for sound advice. In the truck field the “pro” is the transport operator. Every penny of his profit comes directly from the operation of his trucks as they roll mile after mile on the road! That’s why White developed Super Power for the transport operator first  . . .

From 1941, an ad for White Trucks in an array of Easter egg hues.


≈ Lift the Mask  . . .

And see your old friend copper at work!  The 1941 cars sport new colors — new lines — new alloys and engineering triumphs. But behind the glistening new fronts, the radiators are copper or copper alloy just as in the cars of 1930, 1920 and 1905  . . .

A pleasantly spooky ad for Revere Copper and Brass from late 1940.


SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2005

≈ Mrs. Taxi-Driver

There’s no meter on her “cab,” but she has plenty of regular customers. She is on call for trips to school, store, station and a dozen other places. Her children and her neighbors are her “fares.” She drives more miles than her husband — for the “taxi service” of the American housewife is a large part of her life. Since women spend so much of their time behind the wheel of an automobile, they exert a strong influence upon trends in automotive design  . . .

From 1941, a public-service ad from the Ethyl Corporation, whose tetraethyl lead anti-knock fluid put the lead in gasoline.

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2005

≈ Slideshow, Part II

Just in from England, more Kodachromes of the anonymous Great Falls family whose red Chevrolet graces our home page. Here are the kids on July 3, 1960, having a picnic lunch next to the tent at Glacier National Park in Montana. And is this (and this) the same family in the summer of 1958? Bonus slide: Louise does yardwork. (For some reason raking the leaves seemed to take absolutely  forever.)

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2005

≈ If You Love Beauty You’ll Love DeSoto

LONG — LOW — WIDE  . . .  De Soto is refreshing to look at — and to ride in. There’s a new kind of comfort here! Every line of this Rocket Body De Soto says “Quality”! And with this beauty goes 105 horsepower  . . .  new Miracle Ride! See De Soto. Try Fluid Drive with Simplimatic Transmission with real No-Shift Driving! This means, for all normal driving you don’t have to touch the clutch or gearshift! It’s thrilling! Don’t miss it! De Soto prices start at $898 in Detroit. Custom Convertible Coupe illustrated, $1195 at Detroit.

Right before the storm clouds of war got too thick was the perfect time to take your new DeSoto ragtop for a spin. In May 1941 all you had to worry about was the occasional hail of exclamation points.


MONDAY, JULY 11, 2005

≈ Out to Lunch

We’re taking a break, so there won’t be any updates for a week or two. Patentroom.com webmaster Ken will be answering e-mail. — David


SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2005

≈ Can You Hear Me Now?

A telephone call is such a happy and comforting way to keep in touch with family and friends no matter where they live. Isn’t there someone, somewhere, you’d like to talk with right now? It’s so easy, and the cost is small. Call by number. It’s twice as fast.

In 1958, a nighttime station-to-station call from Kansas City to New York cost $1.45 for the first three minutes and 40 cents for each additional minute, or $4.25 for a 10-minute call — about $27 in today’s money. [CLICK TO VIEW]



≈ Buick for 1958

Put yourself behind the wheel of a B-58 Buick and feel a completely new experience in driving. For here is power deliberately provided for your well-being and safety — power more than ample to easily handle any road situation you may meet. And with this power a new performance born of Flight Pitch Dynaflow that can switch the pitch a million different ways. You've never sensed such immediate response and effortless ease. See you Buick dealer today.

Buick's “B-58” designation was a tie-in to the Air Force's new B58 supersonic strategic bomber, a crash-prone aircraft that was overshadowed — and long outlived — by the B-52. [CLICK TO VIEW]


FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2005

≈ On the Road, 1956-1964

Our curator of photography recently acquired a little yellow box of Kodachromes (i.e. snagged off eBay, from a seller in Great Britain), with CARS written on the lid in pencil. Inside are about two dozen mounted slides taken in the United States by persons unknown. The best of the lot is one of a 1960 Chevrolet station wagon (currently gracing our home page) that has this caption inked on the mount: “Great Falls, Mont. Return home after 3 wks vacation. June 27, 1964.” There are two other pictures of the same car out west in 1961 and 1963. Where are you now, Great Falls family with the red Chevy wagon? And how’d you end up in England?

1960 Chevrolet, Yoho National Park, July 1961.

1960 Chevrolet, Glacier National Park, June 1963.

1960 Chevrolet, Great Falls, Montana, June 1964.

Lukens Lake Bath House near Peru, Indiana, 1956.

1960 Chevrolet and dog, place and date unknown.

1958 Cadillac, place and mount date unknown.

1958 Oldsmobile and Buick, date stamp AUG 58.

1958 Oldsmobile, date stamp AUG 58.

1956 and 1955 Chevrolets, date stamp MAY 58.

1957 Chevrolet Handyman, date stamp AUG 58.

1956 Chrysler and Nice Lady, Crescent View Apartments.

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005

≈ Nice Serve!

The goodness of Malt helps beer do more than quench your thirst. Healthy values join the Fun-Flavored refreshment of beer or ale brewed with Barley Malt. You satisfy your thirst — and more — because Malt contributes dextrins and maltose that aid digestion  . . .  B-complex vitamins and minerals, too. These healthful factors are good reasons why you’re wise to enjoy beer and other food products that contain Malt.

Another entry in the Barley & Malt Institute’s curious ad campaign of 1959, illustrated by Edward Augustiny.


WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2005

≈ The Boy of Summer

From 1940, an amazing cover illustration for Collier’s by Ronald McLeod. The ballplayer looks an awful lot like Kevin Costner in “Bull Durham” 48 years later.

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2005

≈ You Like It, It Likes You

Why play with thirst? Quenching’s easy with 7-Up! This sparkling drink removes the very cause of thirst by stimulating the natural flow of moisture in your mouth. That’s why you have no come-back thirst when you finish a 7-Up. Too good to be true? Just have a chilled bottle and see!

For those of you who were wondering, we present this explanation, from 1958, of the physiology behind 7-Up.

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2005

≈ Have a Safe and Happy Fourth

From 1951, a ginger ale bottle rocket. How we pine for the days of glass soda bottles and unregulated fireworks. But that was then and this is now. So be careful out there.

≈ Friday Night Schlitzfry, 1958

Be good to yourself. Schlitz is one of the finer things in life that everybody can afford. Move up to quality  . . .  move up to Schlitz. World’s best seller at any price.

From 1958, a static example of the proto-anime style used in mid-century television commercials. This charming illustration, one in a series, is signed with the initials J.K. (Disclaimer: This Web site and the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. have no connection except for our mutual love of beer.)

≈ Raiders of the Schlitzbox

Your guests deserve the best. Move up to quality  . . .  move up to Schlitz. It’s one of the finer things of life blah blah blah.

The same crowd as above, with the addition of a redhead, cute cat and dachshund (note can of WOOF dog food). Just home from an evening at the theater — “Romeo and Juliet” at the Lyceum — they’re ready for a midnight snack (or all-night bender, to judge from the contents of the fridge). There are probably dozens of these, and we plan to spend the rest of our life digging them up and restoring them, just for you. We really deserve some kind of medal.

≈ The Dream Pen

Back in 1958, new products were not merely unveiled or introduced, they were “announced.” Here we have the announcement of  a new kind of pen. Well, new yet old: The last gasp of the fountain pen as a mass-market item, in the days when space-age ball-points were on the march.

≈ Brew Sniffers

Three perky caffeine consumers illustrate the evolution of a 1958 ad campaign for Chase & Sanborn coffee: First we have C&S “TV hostess” Joyce Gordon, followed by Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right, demonstrating the assertion that one can “smell the flavor” of Chase’s new instant coffee. In the first two, the “smell” is an ooky-looking brown gas. In the third, it’s morphed into much more appetizing flavor tendrils.

SATURDAY, JULY 2, 2005

≈ 1958 Ford Family of Fine Cars #1

So new — they almost make the others look like yesterday. New ideas  . . .  that’s what our 1958 cars are made of. 67 different models, with so many wonderful choices, it’s like designing your own car. Loaded with new ideas  . . .

The recession year of 1958 found Ford Motor Company with an array of new models including the Edsel, a huge new Lincoln and an upscale stretched Mercury called the Park Lane. Sales of these cars ranged from disappointing to spectacularly, legendarily awful, in the case of the Edsel. One bright spot was the four-passenger Thunderbird, which debuted too late in the model year to be shown in this ad. Time magazine’s online archive (subscription required, although some days it’s free) has two related articles of interest: “Too Many Models” and a cover story on Ford styling guru George Walker, “The Cellini of Chrome.”

≈ 1958 Ford Family of Fine Cars #2

Our convertibles have more fun than anybody. You wanted a convertible with a steel top. It’s here, the only one of its kind in the world. You wanted a four-seater Thunderbird. We made it for you. And how about a rear window that rolls down at the touch of a button? You can have that, too  . . .

Part 2 of the 1958 product parade features convertibles, including the plush Mercury Park Lane and unique Continental Mark III,  whose cloth top had an electrically operated glass rear window that rolled down. The Ford Skyliner and its gee-whiz retractable metal roof lasted three years. The artist signed his or her name as Goodi.

FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2005

≈ 1958 Juice Jamboree

Summertime is fun time, and here are twelve reasons why  . . .  a dozen different fruit juices, full of fresh flavor and Vitamin C. Biggest selection ever! Stock up at your grocer’s now.

The “12 delicious juice-time favorites”: ORANGE DRINK • TROPI-CAL FRUIT PUNCH • PINK LEMONADE • PINEAPPLE GRAPEFRUIT DRINK • Grape Juice • Limeade • Orange Juice • Tangerine Juice • Pineapple Juice • Grapefruit-Orange Blend • Lemonade • Grapefruit Juice

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