From the first golden age of video gaming we have this 1982 catalog for the Imagic video game cartridge collection, available for Atari and Intellivision.

The catalog itself contains mostly descriptions of Imagic’s games along with cover art photos and game shots. Here are a few from games I played on the trusty old Atari 2600 back in the day:

Demon Attack

Cosmic Ark

Towards the back is a beautiful storage center, complete with faux wood grain.

And as many other video companies had in the ’80s, Imagic offered their own brand-specific club membership. Theirs was cleverly named the Imagic Numb Thumb Club. On the plus side, they offered a sweet game poster. On the down side, no awesome patches like Activision.

People found this post by searching for:

"Lingerie catalogue scans Otto 80х", "url:avatars mds yandex net/get-images-cbir/3525561/u0A6d0o9_SeLXTiNlMfgJw2442/orig"

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I thought one good way to celebrate is to take a look at one of New York City’s most beloved landmarks, St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

I’m not sure of the date but I’d guess mid 20th century based on the little I can see of the cars. Here’s the back:

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is located on Fifth Avenue at 50th Street. It is the leading Catholic Church in New York City and one of the grandest Cathedrals in the World. Cornerstone 1858. Dedication 1879. Consecration 1910. Restoration 1947. Built of American marbles in modified French Gothic.

Is it a microphone? A futuristic communications device? No! It’s the wonderful new Ronson electric shaver, the most advanced electric shaver ever made! And it can be yours by order from Email Braude & Sons’ 1959 catalog.

Emil Braude & Sons were wholesale distributors nationally advertised watches, jewelry, silverware, clocks, and appliances. They were based out of Chicago, Illinois.

(image courtesy Flickr)

In my humble opinion Life is one of the preeminent magazines in American history. From its outstanding photos to its rich and varied content, I’m rather sorry I wasn’t around for its golden age.

I should note the original incarnation of Life, which I’m not talking about here, began in 1883 as a general interest a humor magazine but was moribund by the 1920s. I’m speaking about the revived magazine, which relaunched under Henry Luce on November 23, 1936. That version is what most of us know today and it ran weekly until 1972. The publications you may see in store shelves today called Life is fine enough but it’s just not the same thing.

Here, then, is a gallery of selected Life covers from the magazine’s first year of publication, 1936-37. They features a wide range of subjects like ballet and opera, sports, famous politicians and actors, and world sites.

People found this post by searching for:

"url:avatars mds yandex net/get-images-cbir/4281211/R9t_Vb3DDcF-4y_RNgzQfw5679/orig"

This one image, the cover for the program from the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, pretty much sums up everything I love about the aesthetic of mid-century jazz in America. Notably, this was just the 2nd edition of the now-legendary music event.

You kids with your YouTube and streaming services have it so good. Back in 1947 the main way to listen to recorded music at home was rather brittle shellac 78 rpm records. One of the leading brands in that market was RCA Victor, who issued this brochure highlighting some of the most popular songs and artists at the beginning of 1947.

This brochure features songs from the likes of Desi Arnaz, Perry Como, Betty Hutton, Tex Beneke, Herbie Fields, and Spike Jones. Here’s one of those tunes, “Tia Juana” by Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra.

SAN FRANCISCO AT NIGHT

The fabulous city of San Francisco, as seen from Twin Peaks, is a never-to-be-forgotten sight. The city with its myriad lights and skyscrapers has a perfect background in the waters of the Bay. The imposing Bay Bridge is San Francisco’s link to the East Bay cities in the background.

(This card was postmarked 1960.)

Soft lighting, feathered hair, and a giant automobile that would never fit in your garage. It must be the 1970s! 1977 to be precise, in the form of a dealer postcard for the 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Coupé.

This was one of two full-size Lincolns for the 19777 model year, the other being the fabled Town Car. This particular car was also used in one of the company’s sales brochure, so if I’m not mistaken this gorgeous paint color was called “cinnamon gold moondust.” Outstanding.

Here’s a wonderful early-to-mid century postcard from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (aka the Christmas City”).

There’s no postmark or other text on this one.