Friday Is Out Of Context

Do you see this match? Do you see it?

Illustrations from the old Saturday Evening Post really fascinate me. There's something really striking about this image, don't you think? (On the other hand, I think modern-day Ikea catalogues are endlessly disturbing and fascinating, so maybe it's just me.)

I could say something about the vertical composition and the blue eyes, but seriously – it's a heck of a picture, yeah?

Anyhow, the context: it's 1955, and you're not a public service announcement about forest fires, you're actually an advertisement for a timber company. BUY WOOD.

This Friday Is Out Of Context Thoapsl Says: A lumberjack is not a little match girl.

Saturday Morning Is Sometimes A Bear

Click to zoom in on the caption, which is so unnecessary it's mindblowing. Saturday Evening Post of 1952, hooray.

The picture is an illustration by Stan Galli – I picked it up from here. How great are the facial expressions? (Answer: "Quite")

It originally accompanied a short story. I'm a big fan of that story's spectacular title and headline:

What chance indeed?

Giddy!

You'd think that even a couple of "giddy women" would know better than to picnic at a place called Danger Canyon, though. It's like when people climb Mt Disappointment and they're surprised that the view isn't very good.

Also the bears are cool

Friday Is Out Of Context

If you click on the image, you should be able to enlarge it enough to read the caption.

It's the facial expressions that really make this one, I think. Go ahead and drown in those big dark eyes.

(Also: is that a Loch Ness monster in the background, or a dragon? Wt?)

So yes, apparently the Saturday Evening Post magazine was a culturally prominent publisher of fiction with illustrations. This picture is from an illustration by Lynn Buckham from their issue of July 26, 1958. I don't know everything about the story that it accompanied, but I do know it included the following line of dialogue (no joke): "Softy muscle man, I hate you!"

See, people assume that 1950s America was all conservative and repressed and boring, but the truth? This is where the '60s begins. Woman in scuba gear rides moose, escapes Scottish loch monster. Those freaky beats.

This Friday Is Out Of Context Thoapsl Says: A moose is not to make fun.