Category Archives: Middle Class

American Dreams: Step on the Gas

Never was the American Dream more potent or more seductive than in Mid-Century America. The USA stood unified and confident at the apex of global power and consumer abundance, racing boldly and confidently into the future. Moving forward at ever-increasing

American Dreams: Step on the Gas

Never was the American Dream more potent or more seductive than in Mid-Century America. The USA stood unified and confident at the apex of global power and consumer abundance, racing boldly and confidently into the future. Moving forward at ever-increasing

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

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Family searching for suburban Model Homes 1950s

Searching for Suburbia

Next to the milkman, and drive- in-movies, the recreational “Sundays Drive” belongs firmly and fondly in our not too distant past. In Mid-Century America, driving was still considered a pleasure and gasoline was still the biggest bargain in America’s shopping

Family searching for suburban Model Homes 1950s

Searching for Suburbia

Next to the milkman, and drive- in-movies, the recreational “Sundays Drive” belongs firmly and fondly in our not too distant past. In Mid-Century America, driving was still considered a pleasure and gasoline was still the biggest bargain in America’s shopping

Inherited Dreams

Though it would be my parents generation, those who lived through the Great Depression and later rolled up their   collective sleeves, pitched in and sacrificed for the greater good in their fight against tyranny-who would be knighted by Tom Brokaw

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Inherited Dreams

Though it would be my parents generation, those who lived through the Great Depression and later rolled up their   collective sleeves, pitched in and sacrificed for the greater good in their fight against tyranny-who would be knighted by Tom Brokaw

Featured / 9 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

Suburbia For Sale

American Dream Foreclosed Whether a split level or a McMansion, the American Home has been the very embodiment of the American Dream. Once the mark of achievement, the suburban home was a solid investment, the guarantee of a secure future.

Suburbia For Sale

American Dream Foreclosed Whether a split level or a McMansion, the American Home has been the very embodiment of the American Dream. Once the mark of achievement, the suburban home was a solid investment, the guarantee of a secure future.