The charm of a New York City summer vacation — the ideal place for a summer resort? — lies in the unrivaled transportation facilities of the great seaport.
Vintage maps & illustrations
Love 1950s comics? Here you’ll find more than 50 old names from the funny pages, like Hopalong Cassidy, Flash Gordon, Curly Kayo, Brick Bradford, Etta Kett, Grandma, The Lone Ranger, Moon Mullins, Myrtle and more.
Smokey the Bear, the friendly brown bear that said, ‘Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires,’ was a powerful force in stopping forest fires. Here’s his story.
A flashback to the 1970s: Take a peek back to the early days of how developers designed sustainable communities.
These gorgeous vintage home designs and their floor plans from the 1920s are as authentic as they get – from sweet little retro bungalows to cool Colonials.
Though the neon blaze of vintage Lisa Frank has somewhat dimmed since the heady days of the 90s, it holds a soft spot in the hearts of many who grew up then.
The A-frame house design is a tried and true style, and was especially popular for second homes and vacation cabins in the ’60s. See several retro A-frames here!
Since “loose lips sink ships,” keeping people from oversharing during WWII was a huge deal. These posters were created specifically to remind people to keep quiet about what the military was doing.
When we look back on the 1930s, we think of a rather bleak decade that was largely defined by economic struggle and political upheaval. Believe it or not, however, a lot of fashion from this time was the very most in glamour and opulence.
Vintage circus posters are a fantastic way to get a glimpse into the world of the old-fashioned circus and all the excitement it offered!
Trade cards, the granddaddy of today’s trading cards, were common in the 1800s, and often showed offbeat images that existed solely to build brand buzz. Here’s a strange set showing people as vegetables.
What did the Titanic ship look like inside? Check out several different Titanic cross-section views, and get an idea of the size and the layout of the doomed vessel.
What was a classic Craftsman house like – and what made it unique? Find out more here about this vintage architectural style and its founder, Gustav Stickley – plus see more than 70 old examples of this iconic design.
Imagine getting paid to think up the wildest retro-futuristic space-age inventions. Back in the 50s and 60s, that’s what commercial artist Arthur Radebaugh got to do.
Stained glass windows are back in style! Take a look at lots of gorgeous design examples, for churches, homes and businesses – plus get some historical perspective on stained and leaded glass art!
These WW2 escape & evasion maps were made of strong but lightweight silk cloth, and were issued to troops going into war zones so they could find their way around in hostile territory.
Why take the stairs while you can ride up in comfort inside one of these metalwork ‘cage’ style antique elevators, made with beautiful ornamental iron? Just tell the bellhop what floor you want.
Practical ideas to help you plan small gardens of your own – a quiet, refreshing area close to your house where you can enjoy the plants and flowers you love!
Planning a wedding with a classic old-fashioned feel? Check out this collection of beautiful vintage wedding dresses from the first two decades of the 1900s!
Do you remember these vintage Mad magazine back page Fold-Ins – where, with a couple of folds, you could change the page’s picture, and its message? Look back at a few of these clever pieces of art created by Al Jaffee.
These charming vintage cottage home plans from 1910 show some small house styles that were popular in America just after the turn of the century.
Through 75 artistic antique color covers of The Theatre magazine, take a peek back in time from the first decades of the twentieth century to see these classic actors & actresses who performed onstage more than 100 years ago
The Apotheosis of Washington fresco was added to Washington DC’s Capitol Dome by artist Constantino Brumidi during the Civil War. He started the job when he was nearly 60 years old. See it here!
These vintage images of the 19th century San Francisco skyline vividly portray how the California city by the Bay changed over a few short decades in the 1800s. Take a look back at how the city grew and grew and grew.
With this book, you can color in 44 classic Victorian houses from the 1880s and 1890s, when many elaborately-decorated homes were built in America. See what’s inside!
Look at some of the loveliest old Victorian hairstyles for women, from back when they were called coiffures, and when getting the perfectly elegant look took hours to manage.
Bartholomew Roberts, also known as Black Bart, was a notorious pirate who raided ships. Here are some of the harsh – and sometimes unexpected – rules that governed the crews on his ships: The Pirate Code.
Halloween greeting cards made especially for children became popular in the 1970s – most far more sweet than scary. Look back at these vintage Halloween cards for kids from the ’70s and ’80s!
Tilting water pitchers were often found on the dining table during the Victorian era. Mounted on a swing pivot, it simplified the task of pouring ice water into cups or glasses, as there was no lifting required.
Here are eight beautiful views of Yellowstone National Park from more than a hundred years ago, as seen by artist Thomas Moran and published in 1875.
Back in 1871, The Great Chicago Fire killed an estimated 200 to 300 people, destroyed more than three square miles of the city, and left 100,000 people homeless.
Below are terrifying and telling sketches of the Titanic’s last moments, drawn by Lewis P Skidmore, who was a passenger on the rescue ship Carpathia
Even today, there are ships buried under downtown San Francisco that you might walk over, on land reclaimed from the Bay thanks to the Gold Rush.
These gorgeous illustrations of vintage fairies and other fanciful creatures were featured in magazines during the 1920s.
Make a fold-up home workshop Plan, work, store, protect with this “fold away” workshop For Dad only . . . a complete, self-contained home workshop
Make a ‘Lazy Susan’ wardrobe Four-season wardrobe selection at the touch of a finger Separate your wardrobe by season . . . by formal and
See old Phoenix, Arizona as it looked back in the 1800s and 1900s, when the city’s population was low and there were plenty of wide-open spaces.
As new Navy torpedo boats were launched during WWII, Walt Disney was asked to design an insignia. He did – then did created dozens more.
What did the future look like from the ’60s? See some modernist-style retro futuristic home concepts that captured the midcentury era’s sleek style and space-age optimism.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war.
The illustrations here show how to communicate using Native American/’Indian’ sign language, and come from two vintage sources: one in the ’50s, and the other from the ’20s.
Before the Civil War, popular Elegant Victorian dresses were not just several feet wide and many layers think, but there were different dresses for dinner, evening, carriage rides and beyond.
Find out what set in motion the deadly chain of events that led to General Custer’s troops being overwhelmed by Sitting Bull’s force of 8,000 Lakota & Cheyenne during The Battle of Little Bighorn.
Check out these 12 retro basement remodels, including a ranch room with a Western atmosphere, created with cowhide furniture, a totem pole, and a colorful pattern for the floor copied from a Navajo blanket.
If your family never stays home because there’s nothing to do, check out these ways to pep up your yard or garden. Sometimes the simplest things, as in the play castle here, yields the most imaginative results.
Here’s a Vietnam War map showing men and weapons in South Vietnam at the start of 1968 — US / Allied / South Viet / VC-NVA
The Titanic was one of the most luxurious, well-appointed cruise liners ever, with seemingly no expense spared… except when it came to passenger safety in the event of an emergency. Artists had a lot to say about safety and Titanic lifeboats.
New York City has provided entertainment to millions over the years. See vintage seating charts from some of the city’s most famous theaters!
39 years before the classic movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was released, see what people had to say about ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ book back in 1900!
Tailor-made jackets in velvet are now quiet the thing, and made medium-length, double-breasted, turned-back collar and pockets on either side; very much, in fact, on the order of the English top coat.
How did America get its name? The man from whom the continents got their names was an especially fascinating character of the late 15th century.
What does it take to be a tip-top vintage full-service gas station service attendant during the 1940s? Find out how customer care went beyond ‘Shall I fill it up with Super Special?’
It’s happened at last — fashion grows up this season. Gone is the little-girl look — the doll dress, cinched waist, and crinolines — it’s the woman who is now the darling of designers.
Repeated, desperate SOS calls were heard by at least 10 ships, which rushed to the scene as the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Here’s a sampling about what the witty editorial cartoonists of the 1920s had to say about the prohibition of alcohol when it was the law of the land.
Garnishes can also be an integral part of a dish. What could be prettier than a carrot larkspur, a turnip narcissus, or a cucumber lily? Or a rose, that by any other name, is a radish, lemon, lime, or tomato?
Bold, rich coloring for houses of the Victorian era The day when nearly every building was painted white, and window blinds green, has passed away.
Here are images showing New York City’s growth from a frontier settlement known as New Amsterdam to the metropolis of the western world –through the Colonial times, and in the early days of US independence.
In this collection of 1910s women’s hats, you can see that styles were exceedingly lush and extravagant.
Free electricity for everyone? Here’s a look at some predictions from Nikola Tesla from a century ago – some we have seen, others… well, not yet.
Not were the most fashionable vintage hairstyles from 1906 very high, built up of a succession of curls and wavelets galore, but they also held ornaments, combs, feathers, flowers, bows and other stylish additions.
It is hard to believe that only two centuries ago, Chicago was a lonely marshland of trees and tall grass, a place with an abundance of wild onions, from which the Iroquois gave it its name, Chicagou.
Surrounded by a flood of music as the boat glides along, one scene merges into another as the children of the Disneyland ride ‘It’s a Small World’ sing and dance to the show’s lilting title tune.
Here’s how to make a retro DIY kitchen island with roll-away cart! This prep and serving center was designed to modernize a kitchen with ’60s style.
In the legend of the unicorn, the beast is represented by heraldic usage as having the head and body of a horse, with the tail of a lion, and the limbs and hoofs of a stag; a twisted horn grows out from the center of its forehead.
Here are vintage Victorian directions for a Marie Antoinette dress sewing pattern for a little girl, trimmed with bias ruffles, and headed with a bais band of satin.
From 1908: The new Hamburger department store is to be a city in itself, a veritable human beehive, with all the complexity of detail characterizing a busy city, save that it will be a metropolis in miniature,
Take a look at a more than 20 vintage road maps below, apparently preserved for years in car gloveboxes across the nation!
Each of these 1920s house styles tells its own story & showcases the creativity of the era. Many even helped shape how suburbs look today. Let’s take a closer look!
The perfect American woman Measuring 50,000 of her sex to determine a standard The perfect American girl — how big around; how much does she
Vintage wedding dress fashions from 1846 19th-century Victorian wedding dresses (1850) Bride from the 1800s The Diamond Wedding at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, October 13, 1859
