x-ray delta one photostream on FLickr: “Shopping by TV” from the Populuxe album.

x-ray delta one photostream on Flickr: “Florida Orange Juice” 1951, from the Populuxe album

The ad was run during the 70s. See instance of it in 1970, 1971 and 1976 (from a National Geographic issue). Its rhetoric is discussed in S. Morris Engel’s book Fallacies and pitfalls of language: the language trap (1994).

X-Ray has a whole album dedicated to “Populuxe” :

“Populuxe (PAWP.yuh.luks, -looks) n. Low-cost consumer goods that are also perceived as being stylish or fashionable; a style that is reminiscent of or based on 1950s architecture and design.”

“”Populuxe” is a word created by the author and historian Thomas Hine for his 1986 book by the same name. It was this book that helped me to finally get a grasp on my interest and growing obsession with that period.”

“Populuxe is a synthetic word, created in the spirit of the many coined words of the time. Madison Avenue kept inventing words like “autodynamic,” which described a shape of car which made no sense aerodynamically. Gardol was an invisible shield that stopped bullets and hard-hit baseballs to dramatize the effectiveness of a toothpaste. It was more a metaphor than an ingredient. Slenderella was a way to lose weight, and maybe meet a prince besides. Like these synthetic words, Populuxe has readfly identifiable roots, and it reaches toward an ineffable emotion. It derives, of course, from populism and popularity, with just a fleeting allusion to pop art, which took Populuxe imagery and attitudes as subject matter. And it has luxury, popular luxury, luxury for all. This may be a contradiction in terms, but it is an expression of the spirit of the time and the rationale for many of the products that were produced. And, finally, Populuxe contains a thoroughly unnecessary “e,” to give it class. That final embellishment of a practical and straightforward invention is what makes the word Populuxe, well, Populuxe.” (more)

“YOU may be giving your wife all the love and care you are able to. You may have given her a good home, security, many of the conveniences all women yearn for. But is she completely satisfied? Are you giving her what she most expected on the day that you married her? Are you giving her the full companionship of the man she loves?

Or are you always “too tired” at the end of a day’s work? Do you come home from work with only the “leftovers” of your energy for your wife and family? Is time catching up with you too fast… at work, at play?” (read more).

Retro-Dad photostream on Flickr : “Meat… You’re right liking it”

The excitement of playing with white squares.

This image and many more related to slide rule history at the impressive Slide Rule Museum, Historical Photos’ section.

Ad campaign create by Craig Andrew Smith for Vaseline. It’s an interesting illustration of Everett Rogers’ revised theory about the importance of social network for the diffusion process: that is “the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system” (Diffusion of Innovations, 3rd ed., 1983, p. 5).

Find out more about this ad campaign on Craig Andrew Smith website.

Description: “An interesting study of a cyclist carrying his bike, by a designer who excelled designing sport and cultural event posters. Mancioli earned a degree in civil engineering, but by the mid-1930s he opened a graphic studio with his brother Ottorino and began producing posters. This poster is credited to Corrado, although he had died seven years before; either this is an older design of his with new text, or else his brother may have had some unused designs of his around and kept issuing them when appropriate.”

Bike Blogware: “Cycles Gladiator” (France).

Description: “Knowledge Navigator 1987 mock-up. The device opened like a book, with the “spine” lifting the face to an easy reading angle, and acting as a carrying handle when closed. The dark circle at the top is a video camera similar to a modern webcam, the slot in the upper right holds a memory card, and the grills on either side of the screen are speakers. In one featurette, the screen is also shown acting as a scanner.”

Lee Sutton photostream on Flickr: “O-OH-H DAD! … It’s a Schwinn!”

“Advert for Western Electric, the manufacturing arm of AT&T.”

About MsBlueSky : “[Her] photostream is a wonderful collection of delightful vintage pictures and vintage-inspired drawings.” Follow her on Tumblr.