Vintage maps

A slight deviation away from books and magazines today, but I've always been fascinated by maps, and the older they are the more I like them. However, I have only recently started collecting them. Ok, so collecting is a bit of a loose term here, and I don't have shelves stacked with 100's of them, but I do keep an eye open for these when I'm out and about and pick up any that are in reasonable condition, moderately priced and look interesting. One of the great things about these maps is that being from the 1930's to the 1960's, they show the pre-Beeching view of the railway lines and stations.

1954 Ordnance Survey, cloth map of Lowestoft, Suffolk

1963 Ordnance Survey, cloth map of Saffron Walden, Essex

1946 Ordnance Survey, cloth map of Exeter, Devon

1953 Ordnance Survey, cloth map of Buxton & Matlock, Derbyshire

    

Keeping with the vintage theme, I also have a vintage postcards blog, and a web site where I have vintage postcards for sale and for a different perspective completely, my In Search of Space blog chronicles, amongst other things, my urban wanderings around London, on the look out for ghost signs, and other curious items.

Sepia Saturday 176 - schools

No test tubes in my collection, but I did manage to stay on a scholarly theme for this week's Sepia Saturday with this page listing advertisements for schools and colleges, taken from a 1920's London guidebook. I wonder how many of these establishments are still running today? I particularly like the selling point of Sommerville House, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, with its bracing climate but am not sure what to make of the liberal diet offered at Quarndon House, Felixstowe.

Vintage schools listing from a 1920's London guidebook

Sepia Saturday 175 - vintage cigarette advertisements

I was in two minds about staying on theme for this week's Sepia Saturday, but as long as you all promise me that these vintage cigarette adverts won't make you take up smoking, then I think we're safe. All of these advertisements were taken from Air Mail magazine (the journal of the Royal Air Forces Association) from the early 1960's.

If I am allowed a favourite here, then it would have to be this first one, for Capstan cigarettes. An all together cheesy picture showcasing some of the golfing fashions of the day.

Vintage advertisement for Capstan cigarettes, c.1960's

The next advert for Nelson cigarettes is less striking but it's not a brand I'd heard of so included it for interest reasons.

Vintage advertisement for Nelson cigarettes, c.1960's

Finally, in the sepia selection, we have Woodbine, for those hard working, engineer types.

Vintage advertisement for Woodbine cigarettes, c.1960's

In the colour section, we have two adverts from the early 1970's, complete with sideburns, taken from the back cover of Drive magazine. The men in both of these adverts look familiar, but I have no idea if they are famous or just models. Does anyone know who they are?

Vintage advertisement for Piccadilly King Size cigarettes, c.1970's

Vintage advertisement for Piccadilly King Size cigarettes, c.1970's

    

Sepia Saturday 170 - vintage tea and coffee advertisements

I may have shared these vintage advertisements before, so apologies to those of you who have already seen them, but they do seem to fit rather well into this week's Sepia Saturday theme.

I love the words used in this first advertisement ... I wonder how many of us these days would used words like invigorating and wholesome to describe coffee. And what on earth does chaffless mean? Maybe it's referring to the tin, rather than suggesting that this particular brand of coffee won't give you a nasty chaffing.

Vintage advertisement for Blue Ribbon coffee

I'm not sure I've ever had to apologise for my tea, but we have on occasions had to apologise for our water, as we live in a hard water area, and the odd limescale deposit can make its way into a cuppa every now and then.

Vintage advertisement for Blue Ribbon, Red Label tea

More vintage advertisements can be found on my vintage advertisements flickr set and my vintage advertisements pinterest board

And if you like this blog, how about popping over to have a look at my vintage postcards blog or my In Search of Space blog ... the latter is probably my most active blog at the moment as it charts my urban wanderings through London, inspired by some recent psychogeography reads.

    

Sepia Saturday 168 - falling in love (Ford Zodiac style)

I had planned to stay on theme for this week's Sepia Saturday, but on browsing through a few vintage magazines for a suitable image, I came across this advertisement. Admittedly I should have posted this in early February for a Valentine related theme, but I've missed that and next February is too far away. It's a vintage advertisement for the Ford Zodiac from the February 1959 edition of Motor Sport magazine.

Vintage advertisement for the Ford Zodiac, Motor Sport magazine, February 1959

They've discovered each other, and they're wonderfully happy ... as you will be, when you discover the Zodiac. Let your eye linger on elegant lines and lovely colours, single or two-tone ... the sumptuous interior, with soft leather seating, rich astrakhan carpets. Feel the power - fast, safe, and, if you wish, fully-automatic. Note the very reasonable cost and all the built-in extras. You'll know ... you and the Zodiac are made for each other!

    
More vintage magazines on my web site
 

Sepia Saturday 164 - are you a leader?

Unfortunately only a few moments to participate in this week's Sepia Saturday, but I have managed to find something on theme, well the theme of peaked, military hats anyway. This is an advertisement from the March 1963 edition of Air Mail magazine and is reaching out for people to join the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve.

Vintage advertisement from Air Mail magazine, March 1963.

    

More vintage magazines on my web site

Sepia Saturday 163 - vintage motor oil advert, c.1959

Well we seem to be clear of snow here in West Berkshire, for the moment at least, but not to miss out on the theme for this week's Sepia Saturday I found this vintage advertisement in the March 1959 edition of Motor Sport magazine. It's for BP Energol Visco-static motor oil, and the picture on the advert is of Mr McCarthy's Ford Zephyr after a night out in the New Zealand Alps. I particularly like the strap line of advert, "Snowed up in the mountains yet it started first touch". This feels very much like 1950's langauge to me and I can imagine someone like Leslie Philips saying this ... possibly followed by "ding, dong", or "woof".

Vintage advertisement for BP Energol Visco-static motor oil, c.1959

More vintage magazines can be found on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 158 ... i-Spy

Firstly a big HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and welcome to my first vintage books and magazines blog post of 2013. Although this blog post is an entry for the current Sepia Saturday, I am not theming this week. Instead I have selected a few pictures from one of a small collection of I-SPY books I picked up when I was Christmas shopping a few weeks ago. I remember having several of these as a kid but alas they are long gone. For anyone not familiar with I-SPY books, they are pocket-size publications covering various locations and subjects, e.g. the street, the farm, pets, butterflies, etc., where the spotter was rewarded with points for spotting various things. I think my favourite as a child was called I-SPY on the Road which kept me from boredom on long car journeys. However, the one I have chosen to share today is called I-SPY in the Street. I particularly like the "Playing on Sundays is Forbidden" sign.

I-SPY in the Street

 I-SPY in the Street

 I-SPY in the Street, front cover

 I-SPY in the Street, back cover

What struck me about this book was the simplicity and innocence, which is definitely lost in many modern childhoods. It also made me wonder what an equivalent I-SPY in the Street book would include in today's world ... 5 points graffiti, 5 points for fast-food chain litter, 10 points for broken glass, and 20 points for a boarded-up show window perhaps. Although with all the gadgets and devices available now, I suspect many no longer even look further than their handheld device.

As usual, more vintage books and magazines and vintage postcards on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 156 - a kiss

A bit rushed for time this week, but just a few minutes before I need to go and catch the train into London. I was initially stuck for a kiss related picture for this week's Sepia Saturday but then I remembered my Picturegoer magazines, which had a few to choose from.I eventually decided on this picture of Errol Flynn and Faye Emerson in the 1944 film Uncertain Glory. Not quite as passionate a kiss as in Alan's theme-setting picture, but probably I guess what was called romantic or charming at the time ... although Flynn does look like a bit of a cad or a bounder in this shot.

Errol Flynn and Faye Emerson in Uncertain Glory, Picturegoer magazine, August 1944

Lots more vintage magazines can be found on my web site

    

You may also like my vintage postcards blog or my In Search of Space blog

Sepia Saturday 155 - men in overalls

I've taken this week's Sepia Saturday theme at face value, and am sharing a few vintage advertisements featuring men in overalls. They all come from the March 1960 edition of Motor Sport magazine. I particularly like the advertisement featuring the petrol attendant. A small glimpse of the sort of service we used to get in the UK many years ago, which has now largely been replaced by surly staff sitting in the warm, behind a till asking if you want any half-price chocolate today.

Vintage advertisement for Filtrate Colloidal Oils, Motor Sport magazine, March 1960

    

Vintage advertisements for Jubilee Clips and National Petrol, Motor Sport magazine, March 1960

More vintage magazines can be found on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 151 - telephone operator

Just a few minutes between raking up the autumn leaves to participate in this week's Sepia Saturday. I have managed to stay on theme this week, although my telephone operator picture is nowhere near as spectacular as the one Alan posted. This first picture is from an article in the January 1957 edition of Trains Illustrated called "The American Train Dispatcher".

An American Traffic controller at his telephone desk, c.1956

And although not strictly on the telephone theme, the second picture does have a lot to do with communication, so kind of linked. This picture is also from the January 1957 edition of Trains Illustrated and was featured in an article called "Signalling and the Modernisation plan". It's a picture of the inside of York signal box which, at the time, was the largest of its kind in the world, controlling nearly 18 miles of running lines, 5.5 miles of loop lines, with 74 running and 154 shunt signals, and 277 sets of points. Some sense of the enormity of this can be seen in the layout on the far walls. I suspect today that there are only a couple of lines here, all controlled by a microchip the size of a pinhead.

The electric route relay interlocking signal box at York

Lots more vintage magazines and vintage postcards on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 148 - vintage cycling

It's been a while since I've posted anything in my vintage books and magazines blog so was very pleased when the week's Sepia Saturday gave me an opportunity to do some, with thankfully only a little bit of thought on my part. As Kat said, there were so many available prompts in this week's image to chose from, and I have decided to follow the bike theme. The images below are both vintage advertisements from the back cover of 1920's guide books. My blog post from a couple of years ago features the font cover and other advertisements from a similar guide.

I'm intrigued by the sign post on the first advert. I think one of the places on the sign is Cheltenham, and the other one possibly Stow, which would make sense as they are relatively close together

Vintage advertisement for Palmer cycle tyres, from back cover of 1920's London guide book

 I do wonder how much this all steel bicycle would gave weighed ... probably significantly more than today's aluminium or carbon fibre models. A bargain though at £6 7s 6d (which for those of you not familiar with the UK's pre-decimal currency is 6 pounds, 7 shillings and 6 pence).

Vintage advertisement for the Raleigh All-Steel Bicycle, from back cover of 1920's Barnstaple guide

More vintage books and magazines can be found on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 141 - from another time

Despite my best intentions I have fallen woefully behind with my blog updates over recent months. Some because I was on holiday, but also because I seem to run out of time (perhaps an appropriate link to this week's Sepia Saturday theme). This particular blog has also been somewhat neglected over the past few weeks as well. Those of you awaiting the last few postings in my vintage jazz journal series will have to wait a little longer, as today I build on the theme of time and reflect on another time. The magazine cover below is from the May 1952 edition of Trains Illustrated magazine. This was most definitely another time and a time of which I have only read about, having been born just after the Beeching axe swept across Britain. Another time would have meant more trains, more stations, more carriages, stations with waiting rooms warmed by open fires, quality and friendly station cafes, station masters, guards, luggage porters, etc. 

W.R. 0-6-0PT No. 9427 enters Snow Hill station, Birmingham, with a goods train

The only place to really experience this sort of thing today is on heritage railways. I visited the Watercress Line in Hampshire a few months ago and wrote a short blog article about it. And of course there are fortunately hundreds of books and DVD's about steam, so whilst another time will never return, all is not lost.

    

Sepia Saturday 130 - I wonder what their faces looked like

I struggled to find something relevant to the theme for this week's Sepia Saturday as I think I have, at some stage, already posted all of my pictures of people in uniform, cats and doorsteps (ok, maybe not the latter). But then the suggestion of "legs separated from their owners" gave me an idea, which was, I wonder what the faces would have looked like. I scoured through my vintage magazines and eventually found this one. You'll have to excuse the artistic licence and imagine that the man and woman are swapped round. This is in fact a vintage advertisement for California Poppy Perfume, taken from a 1941 edition of Picturegoer magazine ... 

As wayward as a coquette ...

as constant as a vow ...

as exciting as a first kiss ...

as thrilling as a first meeting ...

as gay as the song of the lark ...

 Vintage advertisement for Californian Poppy perfume, from Picturegoer magazine, November 1941

This advertisement was sitting neatly on top of another block of 3 adverts, which although not linked to the theme, I thought I'd share anyway. So let's hear it for "inner cleanliness" courtesy of Andrews Liver Salt.

 Vintage advertisements for Andrews Liver Salt, Cephos, and Tangee Face Powder, from Picturegoer magazine, November 1941

Those of you following this blog expecting the next installment from my collection of Jazz Journals will have to wait a few more days before I post the 4th one. For anyone who has missed these, I have started a series of 10 postings and have recently posted about Memphis Slim, Dave Brubeck and Cab Calloway. Also, last weekend I was fortunate enough to stumble across 20 or so vintage Trains Illustrated magazines from the early 1950's, so stay tuned folks as I will try and share some of these over the coming weeks and months.

More vintage magazines can be found on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 124 - vintage travel, by boat and train

As this week's Sepia Saturday showed a picture of a train, this seemed like the ideal opportunity to share a few vintage railway advertisements. These all come from Hampshire and Dorset guide books of the 1920's, but the locations they are advertising are much further afield, and cover the Great Western Railway, Scotland, Holidays on the Continent, and The Far East, South Africa and Australia ... although please note that the Blue Funnel Line is For First-Class Passengers Only ... but presumably means that one would need a first class ticket rather than needing to be a first class person.

Vintage advertisements for the Blue Funnel Line, the Great Western Railway and Scotland, c.1920's

Vintage advertisements for Southern Railways, c.1920's

Vintage advertisements for the London and North Eastern Railway, and Southern Railways, c.1920's

More vintage material can be found on my vintage postcards and my vintage magazines we pages

    

Sepia Saturday 118 - Going Out

This week's Sepia Saturday theme of Going Out had me baffled for a short while. I knew I had pictures of people dressed for an occasion, but the big question was where. As I leafed through some 1940's editions of Picturegoer magazine, I came across this vintage advertisement for Henry C.Miner's Liquid Make Up, featuring 2 people obviously going out somewhere. Click on the image to enlarge ... the text makes for an amusing read.

Vintage advertisement for Miner's Liquid Make Up, Picturegoer magazine, c.1941

    

Sepia Saturday 117 - Uniforms

Well, despite my various pile of old magazines, postcards and general junk, I don't seem to be able to find anything to stay strictly on the Scout theme for this week's Sepia Saturday. So, I have ended up stretching the theme slightly by sharing a couple of pictures of people in uniforms. These pictures are from a 1941 edition of the Picturegoer magazine, and show scenes from Fred Astaire's You'll Never Get Rich. Two of the three pictures feature uniforms of one sort or another, and in fact when I first looked at the one in the top left-hand corner, I did initially think it was the Scouts. I'm not sure what uniforms the girls are wearing in the final picture on the page though ... guess I'll have to watch the film to find out, but Fred seems pretty pleased with what the magazine describes as a bevy of beauty.

Picturegoer magazine, November 1941

    

Theme Thursday - bubbles (bubble car)

It's been a while since I posted anything on this blog, but fortunately this week's Theme Thursday has given me a great prompt to do so, Bubbles. My take on the theme is a bubble car, as featured on the front cover of the March 1957 edition of Motor Sport magazine. It's actually the Messerschmitt which won the National Cat's Eyes Rally.

Motor Sport magazine, March 1957

More vintage magazines can be found on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 101 - over the hiils and fast away

Taking the car as the theme for this week's Sepia Saturday, I've rummaged through my vintage Motor Sport magazines and found this advertisement from the April 1959 edition. The advert is for the Austin Healey, with a backdrop of 4 tweed-suited, landed gentry, no doubt off for a jolly good time, probably involving a picnic rug and matching hamper, and using words and phrases like "rotter", "dash it all" and "come on ginger, don't be such a bad egg".

Vintage advertisement for the Austin Healey, c.1959

More vintage magazines can be found on my web site

    

Theme Thursday - Gadget

I think I've just about managed to keep on theme for this week's Theme Thursday, 'gadget'. This is a paperback from Gerry Anderson's 1960's cult TVseries, Joe 90. I don't remember this series as well as Thunderbirds, but I do remember Joe being a bit of a 1960's Inspector Gadget.

Joe 90 and the Raiders, paperback c.1968