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Why Do We Collect This Stuff?

Saturday Evening Post

This is an advertisement from the Saturday Evening Post for September 8, 1944 two days before I was born. World War II was still raging in Europe and the Pacific. The ad shows a young couple just starting out and their eyes are on peace, prosperity and the future. What are they deraming about? It's NOT self-fulfillment, or empowerment, or "space" -- it's CONSUMER GOODS! They are dreaming about stuff that they couldn't afford during the Depression and that isn't available because of the War. The young couple could have been my parents. With all due respect, they much preferred a trip to the appliance store to an art museum. I really love these "Consumer Goods Fantasies" -- Click here for another such ad (only much larger.) This one shows a Happy Family (Mom, Dad, Sis and Son) reveling in a Christmas Morning filled with all kinds of Consumer Goods, most of which you will find discussed in these pages. [Use your "back" button to exit the picture; download it if you want.]

Thus, it is with profound nostalgia that I look back upon a happier time when folks were quite content to dream about a Roaster, Toaster, Vacuum, Fan, or Ironer. After years of searching in the exotic areas of experience, it is very pleasing to go back to that much simpler time, to have a BLT in our Retro Kitchen.

So, with a nod to my beloved parents who survived the Depression and Saipan, here is my look at a broad range of artifacts that might have been part of everyday American home life during the Swing Era. None of these are for sale -- we use them almost every day! Have a look at our collection and feel free to ask questions or send us photos of your own Swing Era artifacts



NEW FEATURE!: Everything You Wanted to Know About Erector Sets (Updated 06_17-2008)


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