Mid-century illustration for the home

I have always been in love with advertising posters from the 50′s and 60′s. I always thought that one day I would luck out and find a picture I liked in a book, take it to a print shop and have it blown up to poster size. Well, I found a GREAT resource so that I don’t have to do all that: Plan 59, a site where you can order quality prints of mid-century advertising. The categories cover decor, old ads, crate art, and three separate groups for vehicles. You can check out whenever a new scan is available by watching their blog, Pastelogram.

The prints can be ordered on a variety of archival papers and can range in size and price from an 19" x 13" print for $20; 22" x 17" for $28; to a 25" x 24" print for $65 on 19 mil museum-grade art paper. For a truly dramatic piece, the Grand Large Format size can be up to 44" x 46" for $250.

Can you imagine one of the sleek automobile ads stretching out above your sofa? Or one of the domestic ones hanging in your kitchen, especially if the majority of your cooking includes your microwave and the phrase "Heat on High for 3 minutes?"

Automobile Advertising

1957 Mercury

Domestic Images

Domestic Goddess, 1960

1951 Florida Oranges

Bold Images

Pop Art, 1946

American Brake Shoe, 1956 #1

1958 Retro Housewife

I am still a big fan of this one; the golfing housewife, and the colors just happen to match my living/dining room.