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Mail-Order Magazines Did More Than Just Sell Things

The cheap monthly publications that flooded rural homes offered more than just advertising—they also provided companionship.
by Lorraine Boissoneault via Smithsonian on January 18, 2018

No One Writes Great Christmas Songs Anymore

But maybe those midcentury classics weren't really Christmas songs at all.
by Addison Del Mastro via The American Conservative on December 21, 2017

Uncola: Seven-Up, Counterculture and the Making of an American Brand

Advertisements for the soft drink presented it as a soda revolution.
by Claire Payton via The Devil's Tale on December 4, 2017
Actress Virginia Gibson sitting on a turkey.

Why America's Thanksgiving Turkey Is So Boring

The bland appeal of the Broad Breasted White.
by Natasha Frost via Atlas Obscura on November 22, 2017

The History of Sears Predicts Nearly Everything Amazon Is Doing

100 years ago, a mail-order retail giant moved swiftly into the brick-and-mortar business, changing it forever.
by Derek Thompson via The Atlantic on September 25, 2017

How Sears Industrialized, Suburbanized, and Fractured the American Economy

The iconic retail giant turned thrift into profit, but couldn’t keep pace with modern consumer culture.
by Vicki Howard via Zócalo Public Square on July 20, 2017

How Spam Went from Canned Necessity to American Icon

Out-of-the-can branding helped transform World War II’s rations into a beloved household staple.
by Ayalla A. Ruvio via The Conversation on July 5, 2017
The Miss Portland diner.
partner

The Making of the American Diner

Today's diners would surprise a 1940s patron. These restaurants were once vulgar boy’s clubs before becoming today's family-friendly establishments.
by Andrew Hurley, Erin Blakemore via JSTOR Daily on June 17, 2017
partner

Ronald Reagan, the First Reality TV Star President

Ronald Reagan is at the heart of the modern American politics of advertising, public relations, and a television in every home.
by Matthew Wills, Tim Raphael via JSTOR Daily on June 5, 2017

The Circus Spectacular That Spawned American Giantism

How the “Greatest Show on Earth” enthralled small-town crowds and inspired shopping malls
by Janet M. Davis via What It Means to Be American on March 17, 2017

How the Chili Dog Transcended America's Divisions

The national dish is really a fusion of immigrant fare.
by Christina Olson via The Atlantic on March 2, 2017

Victorian Era Drones: How Model Trains Transformed from Cutting-Edge to Quaint

Nostalgia and technological innovation paved the way for the rise of model-train giant Lionel.
by Ben Marks via Collectors Weekly on February 1, 2017

A Short History of the Tomboy

With roots in race and gender discord, has the “tomboy” label worn out its welcome?
by Elizabeth King via The Atlantic on January 5, 2017
Paul Rand’s illustration for El Producto Cigars of a snowman smoking.

Christmas at Midcentury, When Aluminum Trees Replaced Victorian Evergreens

A new book by Sarah Archer explores the influence of the Space Race and Cold War on America's midcentury Christmas celebrations.
by Allison C. Meier via Hyperallergic on December 21, 2016
Santa in a rocket sleigh.

A Wonderful Life

How postwar Christmas embraced spaceships, nukes, and cellophane.
by Sarah Archer, Lisa Hix via Collectors Weekly on December 15, 2016

Christmas in the Space Age: Looking Back at the Wild Designs of Mid-20th-Century Holidays

There are two critical periods for Christmas. One is the Victorian era. The other is the 1960s.
by Sarah Archer, Todd Vanderwerff via Vox on November 25, 2016

The Call of the Billboard

The roadside battle for people’s attention has been raging for more than a century.
by Erica Berry via The Atlantic on July 7, 2016

Walt Whitman—Patriotic Poet, Gay Iconoclast, or Shrewd Marketing Ploy?

Americans tend to think of Walt Whitman as the embodiment of democracy and individualism, but have you ever considered Walt Whitman, the brand?
by Lisa Hix via Collectors Weekly on May 3, 2016
A drawing from a 1908 cookbook of an aspargus shortcake, a savory cake made with leftover aspargus and topped with hardboiled eggs.

An Economic History of Leftovers

Americans’ enthusiasm for reheating last night’s dinner has faded as the nation has prospered.
by Helen Zoe Veit via The Atlantic on October 7, 2015
A collage of processed food, including Tang, a frozen dinner, Spam, and Jello, over an image of Spaghettios.

SpaghettiOs and the Age of Processed Foods

After World War II, canned foods became more and more common, along with a smorgasbord of pre-prepared, processed foods such as SpaghettiOs.
by Aaron George via Origins on May 12, 2015

A Brief History of the ATM

How automation changed retail banking.
by Bernardo Bátiz-Lazo via The Atlantic on March 26, 2015
Santa with sack of toys atop chimney
partner

Naughty & Nice: A History of the Holiday Season

Tracing the evolution of Christmas from a drunken carnival to the peaceful, family-oriented, consumeristic ritual we celebrate today.
via BackStory on December 26, 2014
A bearded man dressed as a lumberjack with an axe resting on his shoulder.

Lumbersexuality and Its Discontents

One hundred years ago, a crisis in urban masculinity created the lumberjack aesthetic. Now it's making a comeback.
by Willa Brown via The Atlantic on December 10, 2014

So Long, Shaker Pint: The Rise and Fall of America's Awful Beer Glass

How the entire U.S. came to drink out of a vessel never meant for human lips.
by Laura Bliss via CityLab on September 24, 2014
Southdale mall

How the Cold War Shaped the Design of American Malls

America's first mall was designed as an insular utopia, providing shelter and a controlled environment during uncertain times.
by Marni Epstein-Mervis via Curbed on June 11, 2014

Losing Ourselves in Holiday Windows

Nostalgia has always been harnessed or packaged to sell things.
by Hunter Oatman-Stanford via Collectors Weekly on December 20, 2013

Retail Therapy

What our mannequins say about us.
by Hunter Oatman-Stanford via Collectors Weekly on December 6, 2013

The Huge Chill: Why Are American Refrigerators So Big?

From iceboxes to stainless steel behemoths: An Object Lesson.
by Jonathan Rees via The Atlantic on October 4, 2013
Book illustration of two people holding a bicycle. Caption reads: The Bicycle- the great dress reformer of the nineteenth century

Cycles of Fashion

A look back at the bicycle’s meteoric rise to the height of nineteenth century fashion, and its subsequent fall, provides striking parallels to today's bike culture.
by Daniel Wortel-London via Narratively on May 14, 2013
Illustration of angry communist with caption "Primer for Free Men."

I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill

History books are rewritten to focus on the underdog. Surely that is a victory for the common people...or is it?
by Stephen Duncombe via The Baffler on January 13, 2013
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