The Laugh (Le Rire) Cover Gallery

Who's ready for more pleasing candy to the 'ol eye? To say that I wasn't prepared to stumble upon a nice big stack of Le Rire back issues (covers only actually) at a local antique mall last week would be a serious understatement. Le Rire, aka "The Laugh", was a weekly satirical magazine published in Paris from 1894 until 1971. As you skim through the covers below you'll notice that most, if not all, are likely from the later half of this publication's great, length run. With very attractive illustrative art, done in a variety of somewhat realistic but mostly cartoony styles, and executed by a variety of equally talented masters of the craft (fyi: every piece is signed!) And since it's December, we'll kick off this great girly gallery with a festive holiday chuckle, my own gift to everyone out there who continues to support and visit AEET on a regular basis. Enjoy!

Suzanne's Fashion Designing Set

I'm always on the look-out for vintage mannequins, and I see these these neat 1940's doll dress design mini-mannequins around occasionally, so I finally picked one up. A fun mailer box holds this 12 1/2" Latexture Products Inc. NYC lady, as well as a helpful pamphlet and assorted dress making material leftovers via the previous owner. Children probably had a blast creating their own doll fashions, not to mention learning a few things that likely proved rewarding in later life. This particular fashion mannequin was sold at Stix, Baer and Fuller department stores here in STL, a now defunct chain where my grandmother spent over half a century working until she retired.

A Treasury of Christmas Ideas

How about some holiday highlights from a fun little midcentury Illinois Power Company freebie booklet called "A Treasury of Christmas Ideas!" Loaded with dozens of easy-does-it helps 'n ho-ho-ho's concerning food, decor, gift magic, and even picking out that perfect xmas tree! Plus, if you're clueless about how to thaw out that giant xmas turkey, well, we got ya covered there too! Actually, you'll have to figure out most of this stuff on your own, because aside from a few examples below, I really mostly just wanted to share the cute key art imagery and lettering from the various chapters. Oh well, you can't always get what you want, --even around xmas time.

Budget Balancer

Anyone out there having a swell time balancin' the 'ol budget lately? Good grief, who in 2025 thought things would actually be the total opposite of "great again?!" Anyway, for those in need of assistance, this midcentury Budget Balancer metal box might help ya sort through your troubles during the holidays. Perfect for storing receipts, recipes, and even your weed, and if anything else, you can always gaze upon the wonderful kitsch mastery of Stylecraft of Baltimore color combos and illustrations adoring all sides of the box-- thus, dreaming about days gone by that actually were great, or in the very least, somewhat closer to what that concept was supposed to be all about, or whatever...