Posts Tagged ‘ads’

The TJS Labs Gallery of Graphic Design (http://gogd.tjs-labs.com/) is amazing.  Whether you’re trying to date a specific product, or just taking a stroll down memory lane – with 10,414 advertisement images – you’ll want to visit for a while.

No commentary to wade through – zip, zilch – just the image and the essential facts.  For instance the Geo. A. Hormel & Co. ad shown here is one of 37 ads for Spam.  It appeared on the back cover of the November 1, 1939 issue of Woman’s Day.

5,187 products advertised in 17 magazines from 3,127 different advertisers from 1930 through 1969.  Awesome, huh?  But that’s not the best part.  You’re going to love how this is set up.  There’s a simple search and an advanced search, but you hardly need them.  Completely cross-referenced; if it’s in this collection, you can find it with a few clicks.

Want to find ads by Norman Rockwell?  Select him from the 251 illustrators listed and ads on file are available to view with publication information.  Want to see all the ads from 1941?  Click on the year.  Looking for a product, can’t remember the exact name, but sure it had the word ‘zoom’?  1032 keywords are at your disposal.

The ability to search by Magazine, Advertiser, Product, Illustrator, Keyword, Year, or Issue makes this site a joy to navigate and downright fun to explore.  Continually updated with new images (as I write this, the newest batch was added just two hours ago!).

The Gallery of Graphic Design is also on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gallery-of-Graphic-Design/108023629232681#!/pages/The-Gallery-of-Graphic-Design/108023629232681?v=wall) where you can view images and share your comments.  Also keeps you up-to-date on new additions.

Go to http://gogd.tjs-labs.com/ and then visit the facebook page.

Tell ‘em I sent ya’ ~ Victoria

Do you collect insulators?  Interested in starting a collection?  Do you know what an insulator IS?  Those knobby things you’ve encountered are as varied and unique, as the part they played in our history. 

With the invention of the telegraph, it became apparent that something was needed to keep the wires from grounding out.  The first insulator consisted of a rag soaked in beeswax and, as you might imagine, wasn’t very reliable.

Next came glass, then porcelain, and later rubber, plastic and composite materials.  Hundreds of designs were created, along with all the accompanying paraphernalia, that gradually connected an entire country.

Rick Soller has done an admirable job of pulling all this information together in a no-nonsense, ‘just the facts, ma’am’ website at http://www.collectinginsulators.com/.

Hundreds of photos in over a dozen categories; patents from all over the world; classification systems; advertisements; commemorative, private issue, and novelty insulators (don’t miss Finland’s).  Books and display ideas for the collector.  A very long list of companies that made, bought, sold, etc. can be a potent source for identifying markings on insulators and related items.

“Hunting Insulators in the Wild” gives advice on what equipment to take, supplies you’ll need, and advice on everything from navigation to treating snakebite. For those of you who prefer not to take snakebite into consideration, Rick has insulators and related items available for trade, and links to other sources.  For the beginning or experienced collector, there’s a listing of collecting clubs (many with photos of their respective patches).

 If you’re not already familar with insulators, the related items will prove surprising – you may have seen some of them and had no idea what they were.  Flat, long, skinny, flared, wall tubes, suspensions, and radio strains. 

If you’re a collector, visit http://www.collectinginsulators.com/index.html. Or if you’re just curious.  Or if you found something really strange looking in Uncle Harry’s garage. 

Tell ‘em I sent ya’ ~ Victoria