Monday, January 3, 2011
Austrian Brochures & Advertising (50's / 60's)
When Uncle Donald passed away a few years ago, I inherited more than just great antique furniture and dishware, I also got my hands on every brochure and travel guide he thankfully thought to save from his years as a traveling interior designer, one who occasionally plundered Europe for decorative ideas on many a business / pleasure trip! And lucky for us, (as these gorgeous brochures reveal) some of his more exciting excursions took place in the 1950's and 60's. Today's post will focus on some of my favorite covers, as well as a small portion of the fun shopping and dining / nightlife advertising showcasing bold and appealing illustrative, type / color touches. Enjoy this snapshot of Austrian culture from 60+ years ago!
God bless and keep your Uncle Donald. What a magnificent inheritance. I could stare at that first one "Inverno En Austria" for a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteI love the Viennese restaurant ad for the Balkan Grill with the fez-wearing Ottoman Bosnian. That's either a pretty jovial and succinct shot at failed Austrian imperialism or a nostalgic shot at Tito's Yugoslavian communism--I'm really not sure which. But I'll bet the food was awesome.
ReplyDeleteMy German is rusty, but isn't a "feuervogel" a firebird?
ReplyDeleteLuff der liddle dancing mandolin player, ja!
>I could stare at that first one "Inverno En Austria" for a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteExactly what I did the moment I found it Mykal! My real dream though is to someday be able to design as cleverly as that Saalbach brochure-- that one just totally blows my mind.
>That's either a pretty jovial and succinct shot at failed Austrian imperialism or a nostalgic shot at Tito's Yugoslavian communism--I'm really not sure which.
I'm not sure either Mr C, in fact, I'm not sure of anything you just said... and you are of course my "go to" expert on all things Euro-affair!
>Luff der liddle dancing mandolin player, ja!
He play jovial American rock 'n roll for you now, Pappy! Kick off yer shoes, ja and donce!
OK. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a sucker for that Dunlop snowman and the boozin' penguins. And oh yeah, the girl in the Rondo Grill ad... um... are those her boobies? Milkshakes indeed!
Good old Uncle Donald! I'm the happy new owner of 6 of his never used, still in the box wine glasses.
ReplyDeleteMy late grandpa had a few of these sorts of things thrown in with his vintage Playboy and Life Magazine collections. Playboy was sure a different beast in the 50's and 60's than it is today. The pictures were really art. Today it's just a bunch of generic beaver shots. Sorry to go off on a tangent, I was just thinking of the differences between Granddad's vintage collection of items such as these travel brochures and today's blatant "in your face" approach. I know which I prefer!
ReplyDelete>Good old Uncle Donald! I'm the happy new owner of 6 of his never used, still in the box wine glasses.
ReplyDeleteIt really is all about who you know know, eh Laura? I'm glad we are able to help you and yer bro get bombed in style in the future.
>The pictures were really art. Today it's just a bunch of generic beaver shots.
Yuck, I know. And not just generic beave either, but photoshopped too! The worst kind. Thanks for the plug on your blog too Illsa, very much appreciated, and nice to know that all the work I put into this blog is actually noticed by more than a handful of people!