Sunday, January 13, 2013

gas stations and gas company advertising, mostly 1930's and 40's













A footnote of interest in history, and I think a lot of people have forgetten, that during world war II, so many men in America were drafted into the military, that in order to keep American jobs alive, and to make munitions, tanks, airplanes, and so many of the suddenly necessary things that fighting the war created a need for, women stopped being treated like domestic prisoners. They even formed a baseball league, since the majority of the baseball players were drafted (See the movie "A League Of Their Own")



Above, good design thinking, why not have the gas station provide shade for the mechanics, cars, and customers? Not just shade, but shelter from rain and snow!


Some time ago, the company Montgomery Ward was like Target. It operated from 1872 to 2001. Then couldn't figure out how to compete with online companies like Amazon.com that had taken it's business model of mail order goods, and improved on it  to where it and the other competition have put Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Kmart out of business or through bankruptcy. Montgomery Ward was so influential, they invented Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. The mail order catalog was deemed as influential on American life as the Websters dictionary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Ward



The above is in Portland Oregon, and has been going through a restoration





4 comments:

  1. Hi Jesse , I love your Blog even down here in Australia. It's a big part of my daily routine , I love everything that you cover .
    I'm surprised to see a photo of the old petrol station from here in my home town . It's the one with the big pillars . Did you notice what side of the road the cars are parked on ??
    It's not a branded station but our state Auto Club centre .
    Keep up the great work ... Love it !
    Darryl.

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    1. Wow, thanks! Best compliment of the week! I'm shocked, that you've found the an old photo of your hometown station! Is it still there? Can you take a couple photos and email them to me? jbohjkl@yahoo.com

      Thanks for letting me know about it, and can you tell me what city so I can add that to the post? Any Aussie cool photos I come across I post, I love your utes, Monaros, Holdens, etc etc... and it's rare that cool photos and stories make it out of Australia, so if you can share any, or your favorite Autralia car websites, I'd love to know what they are so I can share them on my site for my readers like you

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  2. Montgomery Ward started in 1872, not 1972. I'm sure that was just a typo.

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    1. Thanks! I read it correctly, typed it wrong, and didn't catch it, thanks for the proofread!

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