Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

What a Picture!

Picture Post was a prominent news magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938-1957, and is often considered to be a British version of America's 'Life' magazine.

We currently have a selection of these in stock, and have had some of our favourites mounted and framed in hand-stained tulipwood. We would like to stress that these are original covers, not copies.


With the first issue of the Picture Post being published in the late 1930's, many of its early stories covered aspects of the Second World War. Tales of heroic servicemen and servicewomen sat alongside stories relating to life on the home front, and gave readers a snapshot of wartime from all angles.  


 

Post-war issues went on to cover Britain's stoic efforts to rebuild itself,  particularly focusing on its social scene, and the life of the impoverished working classes. On its covers, the Picture Post immortalised the characterful faces of farmers, ship-builders, and workers from other industries, alongside the fresh-faced optimism of youth. 







Even though it ran for less than 20 years, it produced some of the most striking and memorable covers of any publication of the period.

This was down to the Picture Post's stable of photographers, some of the finest photojournalists of the 20th century, including Bill Brandt, John Chillingworth, Bert Hardy, Thurston Hopkins, Kurt Hutton, Felix Man, Grace Robertson, Humphrey Spender.

The images they produced are iconic, although rarely were they individually credited; they were very much considered as magazine staff representing the Picture Post brand.

 

 

 

Thursday, 4 October 2012

All Things Bright and Beautiful

How can you spot a 'Delightful Object'? Well, it might be its age, design, patina, functionality, or sometimes simply its colour. An object's colour can reflect both the era in which it was produced and the market it was produced for. Maybe it was advertising a product, or catching a child's gaze in a toy shop window. Here are some of our most vibrant items in stock at the moment...


Originally designed by the infamous Robin Day for furniture makers S. Hille & Co. in 1963, these polypropylene stacking chairs are iconic pieces of design, seen everywhere from schools and hospitals to restaurants, cafés, and airports.





They've been so successful, they've never gone out of production, merely evolving with subtle design changes. These vibrant child-size examples were known as the 'E-Series' designed for educational establishments in 1972, and their size graded by a letter of the alphabet alongside the Hille trademark underneath the seat. The orange ones here are a 'B', whilst the blue ones are very small nursery school size 'A".



What could be more dramatic than that (terribly British) red/white/blue combo? We always try and have a few framed vintage Union Flags in stock - they make such great, vibrant wall decorations. This large framed flag is over four feet wide, and was brought back from one of our trips to Canada. It's in perfect 'tatty' condition - complete with authentic faded edges and the odd tiny rip or hole.



BIG and BRIGHT RED! We love these vintage homemade wooden toy trains for dressing our showroom. They add an essential colour accent to a minimal monochrome scheme, which is probably why they sell so quickly... or is it that they tap into people's nostalgia for a long-lost childhood?


Funky, red, AND with shiny bits! We just had to buy this child's sledge when we saw it on one of our trips to Sweden. A basic yet sophisticated child's sledge dating (we think) from the 1950s - it's crude steering mechanism pivots the front left or right. Whether it ever sees any snow is questionable, but hey, it looks great just to have it to look at!




We bought these two enamel signs because of their great graphic qualities. Using the classic Automobile Association black and yellow colour scheme, they combine deco-style patterned borders with bold '50's typography. They really are in nice condition too!!



It was particularly beautiful teal blue that this old 1930's pine stepladder had been painted that meant we simply had to have it! It's a sturdy number, and as you can see it makes an excellent bookshelf.


No prizes for guessing what this nifty bit of advertising was selling. Worthy of being framed, this gorgeous 1940's cardboard advert in the shape of a bar of Palmolive Soap, is still as vibrant as the day it was printed.



Sunday, 20 May 2012

Jubilant Times

The build-up to a summer of Great Britishness has begun! Britannia has decked out the place in her finest Union Flag bunting, has stacked her shops' shelves with all manner of quality merchandise, and is ready for the world to come over for some tea and cake.


The first major event is of course the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations (although for some, the extra bank holiday will be the real cause for celebration).

We've got our china cabinet full of original Elizabeth II coronation mugs, as well as a few Silver Jubilee ones.





For those with rather grander ambitions (and wall space) this fab vintage flag is the way to celebrate in style.

 


London is leading the way with the Jubilee celebrations. We have got some more of our London cushions in stock to help bring a bit of Capital Style to your living room.



Whether you're celebrating our monarch's reign, or just happy to have an extra day off to escape to sunnier climes, enjoy!








Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Are you being served?

In times gone by, every town would have its own gentlemen's and ladies' outfitters. The well-stocked department store of the late 19th/early 20th centuries would be decked out in an array of cabinets, drawers, specialist fixtures and bespoke fittings, to display their goods for sale to the hoards of punters.


In the same way that old factory furniture has been adopted for the domestic home, vintage shop fittings make très chic interior furnishings. Despite the sad demise of the 'Are You Being Served?' approach to retail, many of the original fittings from these shops have survived, surely a testament to the high quality of their production and use of high quality materials such as mahogany and oak.

First up is this lovely, original tailor's dummy from the 1930s. It's in excellent condition, and full adjustable, so it could also be quite useful in a proper, dressmaking sense (although why cover it up?).



Next up, a totally practical full-length mirror with a dose of style mixed with a dash of class. This Modernist-styled mirror from the 1940s is double-sided with a tubular steel frame.



And what would one carry ones purchases home in? Putting the subject matter to one side (yikes - poor Mr Squirrel!) we just had to get this vintage paper bag framed up, for the classic lettering and design.


Happy Shopping!

Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Bon Voyage!

First blog of 2011 in February?!? Rather 'slow off the blocks', no?

Not at all - as the country has been dragged reluctantly from the super-long Christmas/New Year break and into 2011, (well done everyone for making it through January, the bleakest month of the year), we have been busy gathering up some excellent ranges of stock, the first batch of which is featured here for your delectation and delight.

High on the list of favourite activities for January has to be planning a whole new set of travels and adventures for the year ahead. Not sure if travel by steam liner is up there on your list, but the travel apparatus of yesteryear doesn't half make for some interesting home accessories.

Vintage luggage looks great, and whilst may not be totally practical in the 'budget airline weight restrictions' sense, it can still have a whole host of practical uses, namely as extremely stylish storage.

We couldn't resist these two fantastic ex-Services shipping trunks. They are of American manufacture, and date from the 1940's. And boy were they built to travel. Solid timber, with steel reinforced edges and corners, they come with thick leather carry handles, and a substantial brass lock. Fortunately for us (and for whoever becomes their next lucky owner) we have the keys for both of them.


The reason they look SO good of course, is down to the patina of age. There's sixty years' worth of wear and tear, evident in the remnants of luggage labels, hinting at some of the exotic locations they have travelled to: Buenos Aires, Paris, Maidstone (?).



Oh, and did I mention, we managed to fit in a trip to Brussels over New Year, to get our mitts on some eclectic and fabulous treats including a great opaline 'starburst' light, and a range of striking African masks? Watch this space....