The days get short and we renew our appreciation for artificial light. Old advertisements have their charms, not least the game of spotting their borrowings from their fine art "betters." The woman in her Viennese reform dress gazes skyward as if seeking the source of the wondrous new tungsten lamps. Maybe her next job will be posing for Gustav Klimt, and why not?
Images:1. Anonymous - Metal-threaded lamps with tungsten, 1900, Albertina Museum, Vienna.
2. Emil Preetorius - Licht und Schatten, 1910, Albertina Museum, Vienna.
3. Heinrich Lefler - Auerlicht, 1898, Museum of Applied Culture, Vienna.
4. unidentified artists - first prize poster for Festival of Electricity & Transportation, 1928, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
5. Joe Loe - Motard Kerzen 1910, Albertina Museum, Vienna.
4 comments:
Excellent. Isn't it true that old ads, whether small in magazines or large in poster form, are a brilliant source of information eg fashion historians love citing old ads.
Personally speaking, I love looking at the decorative style that they chose esp Deco.
A window to another world, so true. Humor and a sense of fun suggest we have more in common than we think. Ans they retain their charm longer than deadly serious pieces of mediocre artwork.
Awesome! Thanks!
Thanks, anonymous. If you go to the website of the Museum of Applied Culture, Vienna at www.mak.at, you can search the Plakat (poster) collection. It's full of enjoyable curiosities.
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