amylsacks' photos

Front cover of a 24-page promotional published by the American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages, Washington, D.C. "Did you know-- that carbonated liquids actually quench thirst more effectively than plain water? Their stimulating action on the digestive tract speeds up their absorption by the body's tissues... When you're really thirsty, have a soft drink!" (Originally posted to flickr on February 8th, 2011.)

Upper left: Field & Stream magazine, June 1958; Lower left and right: The New Yorker , May 9th, 1953; Upper right: The New Yorker , August 15th, 1953.

Is the guy on the right talking into that trophy, or is he just worried that it needs dusting?

These two were the Joe Camel of their day: convincing innocent tykes like myself that boozing it up was cool. (All right. Not really. Even in my drinking days, I preferred Bourbon to Scotch :D ) From the October 14th issue of The New Yorker .

Here's the second back cover with an updated model and decor. Company prerogative, right? But now they've got the box packed so tightly that you'd never be able to pull out a single item without causing a massive collapse. o_0 (Originally posted to flickr on February 9th, 2011.)

From the page entitled "Questions and Answers About Freezing": "Lightly loaded freezers warm up more quickly than fully loaded ones [in the event of a power failure]." That 35-lb. turkey serves as an emergency back-up cooler for everything else, so long as you keep the door closed. Good planning, Sears! (Originally posted to flickr on February 9th, 2011.)

This is the inside back cover. I'm kind of sorry that I didn't share the chipper cartoon where a panicky rooster is chased by an axe-wielding Coldy The Penguin™. Also, that thing which looks like a grease spot halfway up the left side of the page is in fact just a shadow cast by some mysterious off-camera food item. Like I said earlier: so much excitement and so little time. (This page originally posted to flickr on February 9th, 2011.)

Here's the inside front cover. Aside from these lavish all-American meal displays, there's not much happening in the 36 or 44 pages (depending on which year's volume you're perusing). At one point a Coldspot penguin gives various food prep instructions, and a demure blonde hausfrau looks likes she's asking one of the freezer models out onto an off-site dance floor. But they lacked the weirdly-hued bravado of these photos.

The saga of Coldspot Freezers and Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a complicated one. Two volumes, one from 1958 and the other from 1959. They are more or less identical. I felt real pain about choosing which front cover to post. This one had the better title text, but the other had the better logo: it was kind of Art Deco crown-ish. But there you go. Life is all about choices.

I'm not sure what publication is to blame for this. However, I definitely have a good prospect for this year's Halloween mask.

Five minutes later, Kay pulls her new white angora sweater on over her head and learns to never again apply lipstick until after she's fully dressed. From the September issue of House Beautiful magazine.

A delicately penciled two-part dismissal of General Mills and its trained Silkies as our sugary epic draws to a close.

I don't mean to be picky, but "complete in itself" shouldn't require so much elaborate costuming.

"The Other Bride," seen a few pages earlier, wasn't the only one asleep at the switch. Look how the Christmas tree image is helpfully flanking the "Cake for Summer Parties."

"Mary" or "Marv Maust"? Regardless, I salute you.

The painter of cake signed their work. That's unusual. I'm sorry that I can't actually read the name, because these little paintings are just great.

I fiddled with the type a bit. It's on the cramped side, but nobody cares because they're dazzled by the picture, right?

An hour later, "Little Bride" is fast asleep on the couch, worn out by her heroic kitchen toil. Her bored husband has another slice or two of that marvelous cake and reads the paper. Meanwhile, "Other Bride" is well-rested, so she and her Harvey Korman-esque birthday boy mend fences. They hit all the night spots and party 'til sunup.