Gentleman's Retreat

The Retro MAN CAVE

Whether bachelor or benedict, a man wants a spot all of his own.

A good chair, the right light, a nearby table or shelf for a book and a tall tumbler are the necessities.

Huh, no mention of  neon lights, pool table, fridge, beer and large screen tv - boy how things have changed.



Decorating tips provided by the May 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

For Glamorous Hair

For Glamorous Hair use Lustre-Creme Shampoo

From the May 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine

Moths

Maybe it is because we live in a time where our clothes are mostly made of cotton and synthetic materials and it is not so common for us to wear woolen underwear?

Or maybe no one likes the smell we remember from rummaging through our grandmother's closets...

Maybe more people have cedar closets or at least found that it was better to have "cedar balls" as an alternative.

Maybe there was a moth plague in the mid-century that I was unaware of...maybe that plague was the idea for the illusive MOTH MAN!!!!!!!

Nonetheless there are a lot of vintage ads for moth balls...

These are from the May 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping

This one is so strong you can't even buy it at the local 5 & 10 or hardware store, you have to get it from your druggist!

Ken-L-Ration - Canned Horse Meat

Serving Ken-L-Ration to your pooch may have kept him friendly but as a horse lover I was shocked to read that it was actually US Govt. Inspected

HORSE MEAT!!!

I looked it up on wikipedia (as I do everything) and here is what I found:

Canned horse meat was introduced in the United States under the Ken-L-Ration brand after WWI as a means to dispose of deceased horses.

The 1930s saw the introduction of canned cat food and dry meat-meal dog food by the Gaines Food Co. By the time WWII ended, pet food sales had reached $200 million. In the 1950s Spratt's became part of General Mills. For companies such as Nabisco, Quaker Oats, and General Foods, pet food represented an opportunity to market by-products as a profitable source of income.

The ad was in the December 1947 issue of Woman's Day.

Oh Chiquita, I am speechless!!!!!

Here is a close-up of the recipe for your culinary delight!!!!  Just click on the image to make it bigger if you need it.

When I started this blog I wanted a place to put pictures of my favorite fun vintage ads and learn some new vintage recipes...
I was looking for something along the lines of Grandma's Sugar Cookies or even a good casserole
But this...
THIS
leaves me speechless!

I love how on the blog retrorecipe.wordpress.com
they actually make and try so many cool retro recipes.

I would if I could but just can't!!!!

If someone out there in the blog universe reads this and has the courage, please do let me know.

I will admit - I am disgusted but oh so curious!!

This gem of a recipe was found in the December 1947 issue of Woman's Day!

******************************************************************
UPDATE
******************************************************************

The amazing family at over at Retro Recipes made it!!!!!
The whole family are now my official idols...

Check out the post here:
(you may be suprised)
http://retrorecipe.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/ham-banana-rolls/

Ha, Big Man With The Ladies!

This ad for Green Giant Vegetables was in the May 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine  and features Art Linketter.

I had no idea he was a "Big Man with the Ladies"

I also didn't know that there was a Green Giant TV Show "Life with Linkletter" on ABC TV.

Cleanest Wash and Dishes too!

This Tide detergent ad is from the May 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine.

The print in my scanned image may be hard to read but on the bottom the ad suggests that you always buy two: one for your laundry and one for your dishes!!!

Who knew?

Wouldn't this ad look cute hanging in your laundry room?!

The Joys Vintage Advertising

So many vintage ads are sexist, politically incorrect by today's standards, have outlandish claims and are outright funny, even hilarious sometimes!  They are a true snapshot of days gone by and surely do tell a great story.  I could honestly sit and read them all day long.

It seems on the outside anyway that the people were always so happy in the ads - whether they are ironing, looking at the new miraculous magical gas stoves or killing moths. 

Vintage magazine advertisements are a great collectible and look amazing framed which make them great for both decorating or gift giving.  They bring back so many memories of lost products loved, or favorites that after all this time are still available or to add provenance to an item in your vintage collection.

I had mentioned moths for a reason...after collecting vintage ads for awhile now I realized that so many magazines had ads for moth killers and now that I think about it my grandmother's closet always had the distinctive odor of moth balls - was there a moth epidemic in the past that I am not aware of?

Did you know that according to one cigarette brand that if you smoke theirs you will maintain a 5 lb. weight loss?  Or that all men with hearty appetites love tuna cutlets?  Or that you could be more "marriageable" if you used a certain hand cream?  Intrigued?  Read on..............
   

Medical Advances of Yesteryear

"Every month Good Housekeeping records practical progress made in medical science"
and the May 1952 had some good information!

Breast Cancer -
has a definite hereditary tendency according to a study made in New York's Presbyterian Hospital.  The condition is about three times more common among the daughters of women with breast cancer than among the rest of  the population.  The cancer develops approximately 10 years earlier in the daughter than the mother.


Peptic Ulcers -
in a psychosomatic study of 25 women with peptic ulcers, a profound personality disturbance was found in EVERY case.  Almost every patient had lost her mother early in life, had been rejected by her mother, or had had an abnormally intense conflict with her mother.  She had therefore turned to her father, and later to her husband, for emotional security.  In each case, the symptoms of ulcer developed after the patient was rejected by her father and husband.

DDT -
(although it has been proven toxic now) DDT has not been responsible for any large scale illness as a result of its use in eliminating flies from dairies.

Early Air Bags -
Dentists warn that a child who sits or STANDS in the front seat of an automobile is in the most dangerous place in the car.  He may easily fracture his teeth by hitting the dashboard after a sudden stop.  Some automobile manufacturers are installing crash pads on dashboards to keep people in the front seat from being hurt by violent contact with dashboard knobs.  If a child's teeth should be injured - they should immediately be held in place by splints, in order to assure satisfactory recovery.

And last but not least some good news....there have been fewer cases of syphilis and gonorrhea than years past!

Vintage-Aholic!

I have an obsession with all things vintage!  There I said it!!!!

Something about the things from the 1940's - 1960's makes me smile and feel very nostalgic for the bygone eras that were technically not a part of me.  I suppose it has a lot to do with my love of my father and how I loved to listen to the stories of his childhood which I guess in turn makes me think of my own childhood.  I love that my father memorized every advertising jingle of his youth, the products my grandparents used in their home and that despite economic struggles and war times - everything seemed so promising and happy "back in the day".

My family has always been "keen" on vintage...my Christmas tree growing up was lit with cloth wired c7 bulbs with tin reflectors and covered in Shiny Brite ornaments and always had a Lionel train board under it.   Looking back, not only were the wires cloth, they even had tape on them with the names of my grandparents because when WWII ended their whole town had a party and lit up the streets and they wanted to make sure they got their lights back after  the festivities were over.  They are the decorations that my father grew up with and in turn so did I, they make me smile!

I welcome you to my new blog...I will be  taking a historical tour through vintage magazine articles and advertisements as well as yummy (and sometimes scary) recipes of the time as well as include some of my re -purposed crafts.

Hope you enjoy!