The animated movies produced by the Walt Disney company in through the 1950s feature some of the most evocative and memorable images of any films from the period, animated or otherwise. A large part of that brilliance is thanks to the work some of the industry’s best artists.

This gallery features two such artists — Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle, whose visual imprint is evident in these paintings. Their work shown here served as concept art for many of Disney’s most beloved motion pictures.

Enjoy!

I’m not sure what the date is on this fantastic Mobiloil Special brochure, but it needs to be shared anyway. The arrow motif on the first page is my favorite, but let’s not overlook the clever and fun gas station attendant illustrations either.

It’s hard to believe now, but in the early ’70s the National Football League wasn’t nearly as stifled and humorless as it is now. As proof of that, I present these pieces of original, commissioned artwork drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby for the NFL in 1973.

These fantastic illustrations were included as part of the October 21, 1973 issue of Pro!, the official magazine of the National Football League that was sold at every game, in a piece entitled “Out of Mind’s Reach.” They depict, among other things, futuristic versions of NFL players in action. I think my favorite one is for the Packers, who have somehow adopted an aquatic theme. Perhaps Wisconsin has warmed enough in the future to make that a practical move.

According to this Deadspin article, New York City has basically given the owners of Madison Square Garden ten years to find a new place to play. The arena, which is the fourth to bear that name, opened on February 11, 1968 on the site formerly occupied by the above-ground portion of Penn Station. Apparently New York wants to undo that architectural crime, and so here we are.

Not to get all nostalgic or anything, but I thought it worth taking a quick look back at MSG IV’s early days. Here’s a neat exploded view drawing of the Garden from the November 1967 issue of Popular Mechanics. It shows the main areas of the building by function.

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While on vacation in Cape Cod recently, I brought a wad of cash to my favorite used book store and went nuts. In fact, I didn’t purchase one book. Instead I walked away with a healthy stack of vintage magazines — everything from old issues of Family Circle, The Saturday Evening Post, and Better Homes and Gardens to random fashion and auto magazines. And this, the 1959 Symphonic Phonographs catalog.

Within these pages lies a bounty of vintage turntable models, all with that special late ’50s beauty. You’ve got your sturdy and fashionable portable players, like the Junior and Sophomore models seen here…

… and you’ve got hefty models that double as furniture, as was the style back then, like the Symphony.

You really can’t go wrong either way I suppose. I have no idea what one of these beauties in good working order would fetch on the market today, but I was at least willing to fork over three dollars for the catalog. If you want to see the whole set — including the original order form — you can check it out on my Flickr page.

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I find images and illustrations from World War I to be more frightening on average than almost anything — the Holocaust excepted — from World War II. There’s something morbidly fascinating about the weaponry used in that conflict. It certainly was new and cutting edge for its time, but looks curiously antique now.

It gives drawings like this one from the July 1915 issue of Popular Mechanics all the more sinister. It showcases a German soldier wearing an oil tank with a mask and goggles, which can all be used for just one thing: shooting liquefied fire at his enemies.

And just to complete the look, he’s got a service pistol at the ready.

This sort of military ensemble would probably be called steampunk now, if it weren’t so cruel in its very design. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to know that someone wrote an entire book on German flamethrowers of WWI.

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I can’t tell if these album covers for a compilation series called Metal Ballads are serious or not, but they are 100% undistilled awesome either way. They were released in Germany between 1988 and 1991, before grunge made things like this look even more foolish than they already did, so I’m inclined to think that RCA Records didn’t realize they were unintentionally goofing on the entire hair metal scene. But still, look at these things.

You could take the title off these drawings and pass them off as the covers to some astoundingly bad romance novels. Ones that take place in a world where shirts are but a distant memory and only the tender, rocking ballads of the Scorpions will see you through another hellish day sharing body heat for survival.

Oh and for the curious, I’ve included the original track listing with each album cover. That should tell you whether nor not RCA was serious or just seriously messing around.

Metal Ballads, Vol. 1

Track listing

1. Whitesnake – Is This Love
2. McAuley Schenker Group (MSG) – Time
3. REO Speedwagon – Keep On Loving You
4. Heart – Alone
5. Darxon – Hungry
6. Phenomena II – Did It All for Love
7. Magnum – When the World Comes Down
8. Scorpions – Still Loving You
9. Gary Moore – Always Gonna Love You
10. Steeler – The Deeper the Night
11. Strangeways – Goodnight L.A.
12. Bonfire – Give It a Try
13. Europe – Carrie
14. Nazareth – Love Hurts

Metal Ballads, Vol. 2

Track listing

1. Cinderella – Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)
2. House of Lords – Love Don’t Lie
3. Deep Purple – Soldier of Fortune
4. Quiet Riot – Don’t Wanna Be Your Fool
5. Darxon – Don’t Give Up
6. Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn
7.  Bonfire – You Make Me Feel
8. Scorpions – Holiday
9. Kingdom Come – What Love Can Be
10. Gary Moore – Empty Rooms
11. Zed Yago – The Pale Man
12. Motley Crue – You’re All I Need
13. Nazareth – Dream On
14. White Lion – When the Children Cry

Metal Ballads, Vol. 3

Track listing

1. Scorpions – Always Somewhere
2. Great White – Save Your Love
3. Motley Crue – Without You
4. Kix – Don’t Close Your Eyes
5. Warrant – Heaven
6. Accept – Mistreated
7. Roko – Hold On
8. Skid Row – I Remember You
9. Alice Cooper – Only My Heart Talkin’
10. Giant – I’ll See You in My Dreams
11. Deep Purple – Wasted Sunsets
12. Axel Rudi Pell – Broken Hearts
13. Bonfire – Who’s Foolin’ Who
14. Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways (live)
15. Whitesnake – We Wish You Well

Metal Ballads, Vol. 4

Track listing

1. Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne – Close My Eyes Forever
2. Robert Plant – Ship of Fools
3. McAuley Schenker Group (MSG) – Anytime
4. Scorpions – Believe in Love
5. Y & T – Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
6. Cheap Trick – Wherever I Would Be
7. Gary Moore – Still Got the Blues (For You)
8. House of Lords – It Ain’t Love
9. Damn Yankees – High Enough
10. Winger – Without the Night
11. Marillion – Kayleigh
12. German Rock Project – Let Love Conquer the World
13. Tyketto – Standing Alone
14. Kane Roberts – Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore
15. Crash N’ Burn – So Close to Me

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Using sex to sell merchandise is hardly a new tactic, but in the 1940s it wasn’t a common one either. And yet in the 1940s and ’50s Springs Cotton Mills, makers of Springmaid Fabrics, put out a series of ads that likely pushed every boundary there was in American marketing with regards to sex appeal.

The Springmaid ads, clearly influenced by pin-up art, made use of double entendre (written by company owners Elliot White Springs) and liberal doses of voyeurism. The illustrations generally fell into one of two categories, with some exceptions: looking up a woman’s skirt or seeing her panties fall down around her ankles.  That’s about it. Most of the advertisements came with a short tagline such as “Defy Diaphoresis,” “Protect Yourself,” or “Perfume and Parabolics.” My personal favorite is “We Put the ‘Broad’ in Broadcloth!”

Here’s a gallery of just some of the racy Springmaid Fabrics ads produced by Springs Cotton Mills in the mid-century period.

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Sometimes, my friends, fate smiles upon you. Such was the case for me recently when I stumbled upon a series of 1980s Star Trek illustrations in chalk pastel, some of which I will now share with you. Credit for these goes to artist Doug Little, who apparently produced these for commemorative posters around the time of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Enough chit chat, let’s boldly go. By the way, I’ve saved the best for last.

Awww. Posing for the sweetest prom photo I’ve ever seen are Dr. McCoy and the salt creature from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Man Trap.”

Yes, this is Khan and Gonzo. And Gonzo is holding a yo-yo that actually says, “Khan Is a Yo-Yo.” Let that seep for a few minutes.

Of course! All we had to do to figure out what was on the missing segment of the Watergate tapes was to get Spock to do the mind-meld on Richard Nixon. Who needs to bother with a pesky Congressional subpoena?

Fear not, Republicans, because the GOP is redeemed thanks to the Great Communicator. Ronald Reagan looks strangely right in his Federation uniform. He’s just pretending to not see the Klingon giving him the stink-eye.

OK, so this actually makes a little sense. Yes, this is Spock with Jesus. But it’s actually Jeffrey Hunter, who played both Capt. Christopher Pike in the Star Trek pilot episode and Jesus Christ in the King of Kings movie. See? Total sense.

Hmmm. You know, I think I could throw my support behind a Khan/Vader ticket. I’m not in favor of their Kirk-killing policy, but I do like their planet-exploding policy.

And there it is. Totally innocent I assure you. I mean sure, the background is pink and Kirk and Khan are holding hands but… oh.