Category Archives: Consumers

Suburban 1950s man mowing lawn

The Great American Mow Down

 The Silent Spring mornings of the suburbs were often broken by the sound not of birds chirping but of a symphony of puttering gas lawn mowers synchronized all over the neighborhood. The power of purring motors, oscillating sprinklers, tires screeching,

Suburban 1950s man mowing lawn

The Great American Mow Down

 The Silent Spring mornings of the suburbs were often broken by the sound not of birds chirping but of a symphony of puttering gas lawn mowers synchronized all over the neighborhood. The power of purring motors, oscillating sprinklers, tires screeching,

1940s couple on a picnic

How the American Dream Grew

If the seed of the American Dream was planted during the dark days of the Depression, germinated at the New York Worlds Fair of 1939, it was nurtured and cultivated during the sacrifices and deprivations of WWII. By wars end

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1940s couple on a picnic

How the American Dream Grew

If the seed of the American Dream was planted during the dark days of the Depression, germinated at the New York Worlds Fair of 1939, it was nurtured and cultivated during the sacrifices and deprivations of WWII. By wars end

Featured / 17 comments

Introduction

For over half a century, Americans soaring confidence had always promised a sugar-frosted future filled with frost free fun and abundance and economic prosperity. But that Buoyant bubble of optimism has since gone bust. Along with our jobs, retirement funds

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Introduction

For over half a century, Americans soaring confidence had always promised a sugar-frosted future filled with frost free fun and abundance and economic prosperity. But that Buoyant bubble of optimism has since gone bust. Along with our jobs, retirement funds

Featured / 27 comments
illustration 1950s couple dreaming of material goods

Consuming Passions

This homage to the American Dream appeared on a Saturday Evening Post Cover exactly 14 years to the day from that August day when Americans from coast to coast were celebrating the surrender of Japan. Until late in the night

illustration 1950s couple dreaming of material goods

Consuming Passions

This homage to the American Dream appeared on a Saturday Evening Post Cover exactly 14 years to the day from that August day when Americans from coast to coast were celebrating the surrender of Japan. Until late in the night

The Envy of Your Friends

What did you do when your tastes ran to Cadillac but your wallet was more of a Ford? Keeping up with the Jones was a tough thing to at the tail end of the Depression. However, General Motors La Salle

The Envy of Your Friends

What did you do when your tastes ran to Cadillac but your wallet was more of a Ford? Keeping up with the Jones was a tough thing to at the tail end of the Depression. However, General Motors La Salle