MetaFilter posts tagged with vintage and retro

Moog-y Christmas

Joe Beese — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:21:42 -0800

Do you like musical instruments with lots of keyboards? And lots and lots of dials? Then you may like 36 15 MOOG: Stuff with Moog and/or 60's and 70's vintage synths in it. (related Ask MeFi) Stuff like George Harrison's Electronic Sound (1969). The soundtrack to the "Bubbleator" exhibit at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. Music For Robots. And some cover art that may mess with your mind. It also has the legendary "Esper Edition" of Vangelis's Blade Runner soundtrack - without which you have never properly heard this music.

Mainstream. Main Street. Mass produced. Middle Class homes.

saturnine — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:00:25 -0800

Retro Renovation celebrates an era of post-war American housing that's being slowly eroded by the likes of HGTV. The decor of the 1940s, 1950s, and the 1960s might be an acquired taste, but for those purchasing neglected homes in the current economic climate where an interest in thrift and vintage is gripping the youth of today, an original pink bathroom from the 1950s could be a dream come true. Just rememember colour is the key.

Vintage Graphics Resource

netbros — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:53:39 -0800

Grain Edit is focused on classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period. Site content includes interviews, articles, designers’ libraries, as well as examples of rare design annuals, type specimens, ephemera, posters and vintage kids books from their bookshelves.

Party Like It's 1939!

Juliet Banana — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:58:01 -0800

Sartorial inspiration for anachronistic atavists: Rhiannon, The Black Apple, Johanni, Solanah, Casey Brown, Strawberry Lemonade, Fleur de Guerre, The Freelancer, and Elinkan.

Other People's Pictures

gamera — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:45:30 -0800

You are interested in the unknown... the mysterious. The unexplainable. That is why you are here. And now, for the first time, we are bringing to you, the full story of what happened on that fateful day. We are bringing you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimony, of the miserable souls, who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places. My friend, we cannot keep this a secret any longer. Let us punish the guilty. Let us reward the innocent. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts of a flickr collection of old snapshots?

Protection from the Atomic Bomb

jonson — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:42:44 -0800

Protection from the Atomic Bomb A 1950 pamphlet provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Let's go Nintendo

dhammond — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:56:22 -0800

Everything you need to know about playing Nintendo.

Retro space cowboys

madamjujujive — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:20:53 -0800

For many kids, the space age made its TV debut years before Sputnik with 1950's TV space serials.
1950 - Space Patrol - The Hidden Treasure of Mars. (Part two)
1954 - Rocky Jones' Space, Space Ranger - Rocky's Odyssey. (Chapters two, three)
1954 - Flash Gordon - Deadline at Noon and Akim the Terrible. More about:

retro style: fab fashions from the 60s and 70s

madamjujujive — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 06:15:24 -0800

From hair styles and hotpants to bellbottoms and boots, this site has amassed a massive fashion photo collection of groovy celebrities and swingin' stars from the '60s and '70s.

Celebrity Computer Pitchmen

Chinese Jet Pilot — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:35:03 -0800

William Shatner hawked Commodores. IBM tried the cast of M*A*S*H, but without Alan Alda, who played Atari. Bill Cosby was a Texas Instruments man. Compaq gave us some funny ones with John Cleese. Bill Bixby pushed Tandy with a straight face. Buzz Aldrin, The Pointer Sisters, Tommy LaSorta, and Tip O'Neil pitched the Amiga. I guess I should include George Plimpton's Intellivision spots. Apple's covered by everyone else. Who did I miss?

The fabulous Petty Girls

mediareport — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:50:54 -0800

12 months of George Petty pinups. And 16 more. Hell, have 5 pages worth. More about the Petty Girl, an advertising and pop culture icon with an often unfinished look who made her first appearance in Esquire in 1933 and whose elegant line quickly became famous. [via Bibi's Box, which has lots more Petty and pinup links] [warning: busty pinup girls]

Vintage Cultural Ephemera lives on via Flickr

jonson — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:07:15 -0800

Fans of Vintage Cultural Ephemera Rejoice!

Illustration and print design of the 1920s-30s
Cold War Propaganda (on both sides)
Illustration and print design of the forties
Vintage cigarrette advertising
Sheet Music of the 1800s - 1950s
Out of print cookbooks
7-Up advertising (pre 1980s)

All of these (and much more) found via this excellent Flickr Page of Groups administered by cultural archivist Paula Wirth.

Vintage Radio and Scientific Equipment

mediareport — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 20:35:48 -0800

The Spark Museum John Jenkins' collection of vintage wireless, radio, scientific and electrical equipment, including Crookes and Geissler tubes, Barlow wheels and other early electric motors, loud speakers and many more oddball electrical devices. [via TeamDroid]

bing, bang, boing and more fun from the 70s

madamjujujive — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 07:10:31 -0800

1970s toy commercials. From an era when things were more fun, cool, and fresh. Whether you were a hipster or a genius type, there was some creative and smart toy to be had. Many toys were educational and prepared you for the vicissitudes of adulthood. (YouTube alert!)

Built to last

spock — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 06:10:12 -0800

"The best selling stoves and refrigerators at Jowers Appliances these days aren't sleek models with computerized controls. What folks can't get enough of are the stoves and refrigerators that the store would have sold when it opened more than 50 years ago." Welcome to the world of vintage appliances! Stove/range porn (SFW): O'Keefe & Merritt, Wedgewood, Western Holly. How about doing your own old stove restoration? Need some guidance? Want to see what your vintage stove might be worth? It might surprise you!

Poor Lois, See How Old She's Growing

sourbrew — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:37:18 -0800

“Poor Lois, See How Old She's Growing! Too bad she’s doesn't try to remain the girl her husband fell in love with. The change is so gradual you never see it but your friends do."

Vintage Beauty Adverts at Duke University's Rare Book and Manuscript Collection.

Terry and the Pirates ... Little Orphan Annie ... Buster Brown ...

anastasiav — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 10:16:54 -0800

Barnacle Press :: Amazing Archive of Vintage Comic Strips

Vintage & Retro Posters

peacay — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 10:29:55 -0800

Vintage & Retro Posters
French/Italian
Marc Chagall
Old Movie Posters via

Now you're playing with power.

BlackLeotardFront — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 13:37:21 -0800

They're all here. Or most of them. This will make you dust off your NES/Genesis/Turbo GraphX-16... but this time with a pixel-perfect map of every level of your most beloved games. From Amiga to Xbox. Castlevania, Zelda, and Megaman among hundreds of others and links to even more in-depth sites. Warning - some of these maps are EXTREMELY large, like 13000x5000 large. NSFCW (Not safe for child within)

The TV Typewriter

braun_richard — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:45:06 -0800

Typing...on a screen! Text (and cover image) of a 1973 issue of Radio-Electronics mag, showing a new fangled way of typing with a TV screen. I like how the mag is billed as "for MEN with ideas in electronics." Heh...

Tallulah's Vintage Nudes

taz — Mon, 09 Aug 2004 03:13:38 -0800

Big Hats and Eroticism is just one of the many features of Tallulahs.com, an excellent site dedicated to images of the vintage nude. There's also lots of wonderful trivia and commentary, such as a brief biography of the Mante sisters (immortalized in the brilliant ballerina images of painter Edgar Degas), and the story of Liane de Pougy, convent girl turned runaway wife, turned celebrated dancer of the French stage, turned Romanian Princess. Or you can read about the mystery of H. Traut, elusive photographer of "the gentle eroticism of fairyland" whose images graced hundreds of postcards for several years until he seemingly vanished from the scene some time before WWI. Interested in drawing or painting nudes yourself? Here's a page of classical nude poses - studies in various categories that you can work from, including "The beauty of butts" and "seductive smoking"! Plus, you can peruse Tallulah's own art nudes, and a fabulous links page. NSFW, obviously.

1930 Shanghai style advertising posters

hama7 — Fri, 05 Sep 2003 14:35:21 -0800

1930 Shanghai style advertising posters

Vintage Vehicles - Teardrop Trailers

madamjujujive — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 19:03:34 -0800

Teardrop trailers were all the rage from the '30s to the '50s, and in vogue today with vintage aficionados. Some are woodies, some are made for motorcycles and most have lots of personality crammed into truly small space. The build-it-yourself bug spread with this 1947 Mechanix Illustrated article (pdf file alert) complete with plans. Follow one man's contemporary build-from-scratch adventure detailed in a photos essay, or get plans to build your own.

Old Christmas Tree Lights

taz — Sat, 07 Dec 2002 03:15:21 -0800

Another "magnificent obsession" site, seasonally spiced: oldchristmaslights.com is a huge attic space, packed to the rafters with illuminating images and information; history and pre-history, manufacturer backgrounds, timeline, patents, vintage advertising, trivia - it's all here, plus a "Light Set Gallery" and more. Plug in and enjoy.