HOME MAIN
ABOUT
E-MAIL PRINTS
NEW
May 2005
CLICK ON ORANGE HEADINGS TO VIEW. SITE © 1999-2020
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2005
≈ Mystery of the Vanishing Hills
Pick out, just for fun, some
lofty range that rises sheer and purple before you . . .
and transform it swiftly, effortlessly into a plain! No motoring
miracle, this — simply an everyday experience in the life of the
lucky man who owns a 1941 Lincoln-Zephyr! For this fleet, hardy
traveler sweeps you up the hillside or down the narrow glen with
a sure, silent, steady flow of alert 12-cylinder power . .
. gives you far more fun per gallon than you ever
enjoyed at the wheel of a motor car!
We are taking off later today to explore the Mystery of the
Vanishing Hills on our own, so there’ll be no updates for a week
or so. In the meantime
Patentroom webmaster Ken will be answering e-mail and
stoking the boilers.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2005
≈ Push a Button . . .
Calrod Heat!
Hotpoint Built-Ins for 1959:
“Recipe Heat” Oven with
Roast-Right Thermometer . . . “Recipe Heat” Range
with Super-Matic surface unit. With Hotpoint Calrod Recipe Heat,
you have automatic controls for all your cooking!
We’ll never let Mom forget that night Dad took a bite of meatloaf
and choked on a pearl.
≈ Beer Garden
You can get extra energy from
products containing Barley Malt! Fun flavor is the start of all
that Barley Malt adds to your enjoyment of beer and ale. Malt’s
generous talents carry on from there . . . you get dextrins and maltose to aid digestion, maintain energy . .
. B-complex vitamins and minerals, too.
This explains why the zinnias were always a little crooked.
(Historical note: The artist here, Edward Augustiny, was at one
time married to illustrator Joyce Ballantyne Brand, who went on
to create the Coppertone Girl.)
≈ The Mark IV Continental
“Nothing is more simple than
greatness.”
The quote, from Ralph Waldo Emerson, was the tagline for this ad
illustrating the 1959 Continental Mark IV. The 1958-1960
Lincolns and Continentals were some of the largest — and
strangest — cars ever to come out of Detroit.
≈ Moving Day, 1959
SHARING THE BIG MOVE to GMC
Trucks is the handsome Wide-Side Pickup with its 50% greater
cargo space and value-packed half-ton panel with seven-foot
body. The moving van is the GMC 450, a versatile and economical
tractor . . .
The artist’s signature on this wonderful illustration is
indecipherable. It starts with B and seems to end in “sci.”
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2005
≈ Big Blue
Autocar Trucks cost more
because they’re worth more!
That’s all they wrote in this 1947 ad for the Autocar Company of
Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2005
≈ American Brake Shoe
Inspired by the 1956 Chevrolet accessories catalog, we offer a Warholian take on
the humble power brake in two of our favorite hex
values, cherry FFOOOO and sky OOOOFF.
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2005
≈ Big Red
“Look for the Red and Blue
Truck” is the slogan of the Petrol Corporation, Philadelphia,
the largest independent distributor of petroleum products on the
Eastern Seaboard. “Look for the Red and Blue Autocar
Truck” might well be the slogan, for Petrol relies on more than
200 of these Heavyweight Champions for essential home-front
deliveries . . . Liquid loads are heavy loads, but
Autocars are heavy-duty trucks. And heavy-duty trucks, tempered
in the cauldron of war, are clearly the post-war trend . . .
Another of William Campbell’s noirish illustrations for Autocar
trucks, this one from the war year of 1944.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2005
≈ Holiday Coupe
Distinguished . . .
Distinctive . . . Decidedly New! The 1961
Oldsmobile Classic 98 Holiday Coupe has an appearance all its
own — styling distinction that marks it as the finest. The new
Skyrocket Engine offers deep reserves of near-silent power. And,
of course, all models have, as standard equipment, new Hydra-Matic
Drive featuring Accel-A-Rotor action . . . plus
Roto-Matic Power Steering and Pedal-Ease Power Brakes.
From the cover of the Oldsmobile sales catalog, Miss Hydra-Matic
Roto-Matic Accel-A-Rotor Pedal-Ease of 1961.
≈ The Imperial Sedan
Quite naturally, the luxurious,
tastefully appointed interiors of the 1955 Imperial hold a
special appeal for the feminine motorist; but men, too, are
appreciative of this rich beauty and charm, which to them is a
plus value, an extra that complements fine engineering and
performance. Everything is in perfect harmony, in impeccable
good taste. Rich fabrics and fine leathers are artistically and
skillfully tailored over soft, deep, yielding cushions. The
doors are wide. The windows are electrically operated. The front
seat moves forward or back, up or down, at the push of a button.
Center armrests, assist handles, entrance lights — everything is
included for the convenience, comfort and safety of the driver
and passengers.
Repeat after me, ladies: “Are the doors wide? The cushions soft
and yielding? These windows — how do they work?”
MONDAY, MAY 16, 2005
≈ Imperial Newport for 1955
Rich pleated-leather and
metallic silver thread fabric set the ultra-luxury motif of
Imperial Newport interiors . . . in two-tone beige,
red & black, gold & white, green & white, or blue & white
correlated with exterior body colors. Distinctive new armrest
ledges, integrated full length with the door panels, house the
ash receivers and electric window-lift controls. Fold-down
center armrest in rear seat . . .
A selection from the enormous, beautifully printed and
stunningly designed prestige brochure for the Imperial of 1955,
the first year of that car’s renascence as something other than
just a fancily trimmed Chrysler.
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2005
≈ Night Light, 1941
The hour is late . . .
the driving, tough . . . the road, lonely. Then,
through the cold, wet darkness shines a star . . . the
Texaco Star. Beneath its friendly light, a man waits to serve
you . . . a Texaco Dealer, alert, capable,
competent.
¶ ¶ ¶ ¶
He will offer you the comfort of his Registered Rest Room
. . . set you straight on your route . . .
clear that befogged windshield . . . adjust that
bothersome headlight . . . or, supply one of those
two famous Texaco gasolines, FIRE-CHIEF or SKY-CHIEF. He
will protect your hard-worked motor with Insulated
Havoline. Yes! All night long, throughout the touring season, in
48 States, Texaco Dealers offer you this vigilant all-night
service. You will find it waiting for you this summer at
convenient points all along the national highways.
From 1941, a reminder of those pre-Interstate, pre-GPS days when most
highways were winding two-lane roads, and you needed a map — or
directions from a service-station attendant — to get from one
town to the next. The artist is the famed racing illustrator
Peter Helck.
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2005
≈ Fine-Art Prints
In addition to our regular line
of prints we’re introducing fine-art giclee prints on mould-made
watercolor paper imported from France. C’est magnifique! Details
are here; e-mail us for
a quote. And: Congratulations to Ken on your MBA.
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2005
≈ Fun With Pop, 1953
It’s a tiny piece of metal and
cork that costs only a fraction of a cent — the cap on a
soft-drink bottle. This cap must seal in more than the flavor.
It must also hold the carbonating gas, which may be under as
much as 100 pounds pressure. The first metal crowns appeared in
this country about sixty years ago. While they represented a
tremendous advance over previous sealing methods, soft drinks
would still occasionally go “flat.” It was not until crowns had
been thoroughly engineered to find just the right thickness of
metal, the right composition of cork, and the right adhesive,
that they became completely reliable. In this development,
Continental Can played an important part. The five plants of our
Bond Crown & Cork division now turn out a big share of the more
than 50 billion crowns the U.S. bottling industry uses annually . . .
Once upon a time, kids, soda came in glass bottles, not cans.
Instead of pop-tops, there were bottle caps lined with cork.
Along with squashed cigarette butts, flattened bottle caps were
literally part of the landscape. We miss ’em!
≈ Autocar, 1945
Autocar Trucks are superbly
engineered for heavy-duty hauling. These famous, precision-built
trucks cost more because they’re worth more! They’ve got
the guts, strength, power, stamina — everything — that
heavy-duty hauling has to have to lower costs. Airco will
testify to this . . .
Another of Autocar’s atmospheric 1940s ads, this one signed by
Campbell, who would seem to be responsible for
this one, too. First
person to correctly supply us with the artist’s first name gets
a free print.
UPDATE: Joan Auclair wins the print. The artist is William
Campbell, and his name is hiding up in the tree of “Heavy
Tankage.” (At least it was hiding from us.) Thanks,
Joan!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2005
≈ Nearer Than You Think!
SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN WORK
AND PLAY. Tomorrow’s new modes of metropolitan transportation
are nearer than you think! The monorail and the automobiles and
trailer trucks of tomorrow couldn’t be made without the ferro
alloys that exist today . . .
From 1958, an illustration from the start of Vanadium
Corporation of America’s futuristic ad campaign, which ran until
1960. Most of these were painted by the aviation artist Jo
Kotula, although this one is unsigned. Shades of the Jetsons and
the 1950 Studebaker.
MONDAY, MAY 9, 2005
≈ Heavy Tankage! (Prints
Available)
For the ruts of War or the
highways of Peace, Autocar Trucks are precision-built for the
heaviest of heavy-duty work. Mile after mile, day after day,
year after year, these famous trucks put on dependable,
low-cost-per-mile performance and reduce hauling and delivery
costs. Just ask Shell Union Oil Corporation. They know Autocar
Trucks through long years of rugged use. Then follow the
leaders, for they know the way!
Autocar, based in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, was bought out by White
Motor Car Co. in 1953 and moved to Exton. The name was purchased
by Volvo in the 1980s and revived in 2001 by GVW LLC for its
Xpeditor refuse-hauling line. UPDATE: Print options for this
image are listed here.
Eventually all of our print offerings will follow this format.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2005
≈ Honk, Honk
We’re not the type to go around
tooting our own horn,
but columnist/Dynamist Virginia Postrel has kindly
name-checked us in today’s
New York Times and we
just had to share. Hi Mom!
TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2005
≈ Motor Owl
When you bang your shin on a
chair in a dark room — you’ve located the chair. But that’s
learning the hard way. How much simpler to have owl’s eyes — or
turn on the light — and see where you’re going. Now
scientists at Shell’s research laboratories have turned on the
light — designed and built an engine with a cylinder entirely of
GLASS . . . which lets them SEE where the oil is, and just
how it stands up to its job . . .
It’s not easy illustrating lubricants, but in 1946 Shell
attempted to meet the challenge with an ad featuring
you-know-who. Who. Who.
≈ When Victory Is Ours
ALL AMERICANS are confident
that ultimate victory in this war is ours. When the same
confidence in our post-war economy prevails, our future is
secure. Pent-up demand for every kind of consumer good promises
capacity business all ’round. That means more employment for all
who wish to work, wage money aplenty for all who wish to buy.
The manufacturers of Republic Rubber and Lee of Conshohocken
tires believe in this natural sequence . . .
From the dark days of early 1944, a dark illustration for Lee Rubber
by the equestrian painter Milton Menasco.
≈ Castañetwork, 1944
The metropolis of Rio de
Janeiro, one of the most colorful cities of South America, may
be reached in a matter of hours by plane and instantaneously
by radio. The opening of a new post-war chapter in the
history of Radio will help to enlighten all nations —
lead to a fuller life for all peoples. To know your world
neighbor is to understand your world neighbor!
During World War II, sales of many consumer goods, including
radios, were suspended “for the duration,” with production going
to the war effort. Hallicrafters had no radios to sell
civilians, just a dream of the Lady in Red.
≈ Tough Job, Tough Truck
And rugged Internationals have
what it takes. In the last fourteen years civilian users have
purchased more heavy-duty International Trucks than any other
make . . .
From 1946, a colorful ad for International Harvester, whose
trucks now carry the Navistar nameplate.
PREVIOUS POSTS (APRIL 2005)
|