Three from the Past

I've been seeing a lot of cool old design work lately. Here are three items from three locations in a single week.


I love the use of white ink on this book cover to create steam from the kettles. Why an efficient kitchen needs two teakettles a-boilin', I don't know, but it's a striking design. Note the kettles used in the black border, as well.

I'm not sure if the designer intended to imply a face with the kettles for eyes and the steam for hair, or if I'm just suffering from pareidolia again.

Book seen at the Book House in Dinkytown, Minneapolis. In a glass case, for sale at $100.


Then there's this extra-fine can for buckwheat flour from the Mill City Museum. The ram adds character to what would otherwise be generic claims: pure, purity guaranteed, air tight, sanitary... gee, I wonder if there were food safety problems in those days?


Finally, can you guess what this is? No, it's not a chocolate bar.

What if I told you I saw it at the Museum of Russian Art in an exhibit of samovars, one of which you can glimpse in the background?

That's right, it's a block of tea, pressed to extreme density and imprinted with an illustration and some words. I wish I knew what it says.