The Retro Blog

Concept cars are little dreams about future cars that get produced for auto shows. They’re made to show what cars might look like in the near future, but are almost never actually put into production. Here’s a gallery from the New York Times that shows some gorgeous concept cars General Motors designed in the 1950’s.

Everything looks better in Kodachrome, including my city, San Francisco. Here’s a very extensive gallery of photos of San Francisco looking the way I wished it still did today. Men in fedoras walk down a clean(!) Market Street. Quaint little China Town is shockingly free of crowds. I think I’m going to waste a lot [...]

I live in on the far SW side of San Francisco, which is practically Daly City. Most people think Daly City is decidedly uncool, but I beg to differ. On my occasional trips to Trader Joe’s I’m always finding myself wondering what people hate so much about Daly City. It has far more awesome retro houses than [...]

Toastermuseum.com is exactly what it sounds like: a wonderful gallery of toasters from the days of yore.

Here’s an interesting job for you young ladies out there: put on a fish tail an stay underwater for an hour and wave and flirt with tourists. That’s the job description of the mermaids of Weeki Wachi Springs in Florida.

In 1946 a former navy trainer named Newton Perry invented a system by which air was [...]

I must say that “test pilot” has never been an appealing sounding job to me. In the 50’s, though, it seems as though there were plenty of people quite happy to perform the task. Have a look at this gallery of all the exciting and dangerous looking toys these test pilots got to play with. [...]

Road trips are starting to seem a little pointless. These days it seems like you can go to pretty much any small to medium sized American town along a highway and it’s the same as the last one. Main Street USA consists of a bunch of chain restaurants and gas stations, and it has been [...]

My friends and I often look back at the parks of our youth fondly. We can wax poetic for hours over the old Pioneer Park in Novato. It’s almost mythical at this point. It had a giant spinning octopus, dozens of swings without safety belts, and several super tall firemen’s poles. At the center of [...]

Two vintage items that always look awesome: guns and cameras. Why not combine them? Here’s a whole gallery of cameras that look like guns.

The term pin up girl was invented to describe scantily clad women in magazine photos that men could cut out and pin up to their walls. As time went by you were almost as likely to see a retro looking pin up model on somebody’s body as on a soldier’s locker. Pin up girls are [...]

With rising gas prices, car dealerships are having a hard time selling SUV’s. Small cars are king again. Newseek has a slideshow of very small retro cars. Some are even micro. They’re very cute and I imagine they get pretty good mileage. Might give you a neck cramp, though.

When you’re not forced to look at them for school, science books can be awfully pretty. The folks over at the vintage science pool at flickr seem to understand this. It’s a gallery filled with wonderful retro science textbook illustrations.

I think being a tester for Consumer Reports would be a pretty sweet job. Who wouldn’t want to spend all day beating up a bunch of products to see what it takes to make them break? I think this job was probably most fun back in the 50’s and 60’s, when a ton of new [...]

I hate driving, but I love drive-in theaters. You can bring a three course dinner, sit in your pajamas, put your feet up, and heckle the film to your heart’s content. If the movie is bad, (and hopefully it is (trashy movies are the most fun)), you can flip through the audio of other [...]

Here are two excellent galleries of classical album covers from the 1940’s and 1950’s. Who knew classical music could be so hip?
The World of Light Classical Music Record Group
Vinyl Gallery: Vintage classical album cover graphics

The Diana camera was first produced in the 1960’s, and became a favorite among artists who celebrated the photographic flaws it frequently produced. Made entirely of cheap plastic, (including the lens), the camera often suffered from light leaks and blurry images. Now, of course, every hipster and their mother wants one. The reissue, called the [...]

Prom season is here. Personally, I was not such a fan of prom. I probably would have been more enthusiastic about the event if people were all in 50’s outfits. Enjoy some retro prom pictures:
1. Dress choice is ever so important
2. Make sure you know all the right moves.
3. Coordinate clothes with your date. And [...]

The Retro Blog readers in Seattle have the opportunity to indulge in some vintage Japanese robot toy worship at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. An exhibition running now through October 26 features many cute little retro visions of the future, many of which can be viewed in this gallery.

I think just about every girl I know has thought at some point in her life that being a flight attendant would be a pretty good job. There’s something romantic about the idea of jetsetting about and seeing the world while only needing a waitress level skill set. I’ve thought about this too, but the [...]

From mowtown mavens to mod beauties, this gallery of 1960’s ladies has it all.

Here’s a gallery of gorgeous magazine covers from the 50’s and 60’s. Excellent retro designs. [via boingboing]

Did you know Salvador Dali was a total sell out? Watch him shill for Alka-Seltzer. I really can’t explain the odd choice of the actor providing Dali’s voice. Spanish=Mexican=Speedy Gonzalez? Check out Laughing Squid for more, including Dali’s quite amusing appearance on What’s My Line in which he insists on answering ‘yes’ to almost [...]

About two years ago my boyfriend bought a very beautiful blue Smith Corona typewriter at an estate sale for ten bucks. I don’t think he’s touched it since. It’s so purdy, though. Here’s a flickr group for people who appreciate the gorgeous designs of various writing devices.
And if you really enjoy the look of [...]

When I was four, I had a baby doll called Toby (named after the baby in Labyrinth). Now, I remember loving Toby and carrying him around and rocking him and thinking that I would love him until I was old enough to have a real baby and name him Toby. Not once did I ever [...]

Plan 59 is perhaps the best source for vintage ads. Their vast collection of gorgeous scans can’t be beat. I’m especially fond of their demonic tots and deeply disturbing cuisine section, full of creepy kids who are pushed to the limits of excitement over baked ham and cans of pork and beans.