Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tower Concept

By Nikolay Diulgheroff

Diulgheroff (1901 - 1982), a Bulgarian artist and architect, studied art and design in Austria, Germany and Italy. Since 1926 he lived in Turin where he became involved in the Futurist movement.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Inspection Visit of the R101

1929 or 1930

From the British periodical War in the Air - Aerial Wonders of Our Time, 1936.
The accompanying caption reads:

PASSENGERS' ENTRANCE TO R101
When R101 was moored to her Cardington mast - 200 feet high, and equipped with a lift and staircase - the passengers and crew entered and left the ship via the mast itself and a gangway let down from beneath her nose. Above is a party of M.P.s entering R101 on an inspection visit.

P.S. R101 crashed on 5 October 1930 in France during its maiden overseas voyage, killing 48 people.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Eartheater

Transport Reconstruction* magazine cover, March 1931

Via DavideLevine @ Flickr
_______________________________
* Here "reconstruction" means "modernization" or "renovation"

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Home appliances

Vacuum Cleaners - Floor Polishers - Washing Machines
1948

Monday, June 20, 2011

Glass Tea Service, 1932

Design: Wilhelm Wagenfeld for Schott u. Genossen company, Jena

Something personal: it 1970s my family had two Jena tea sets. I didn't know (and wouldn't believe!) they were designed 40 years before. Now, after another 40 years, this glassware looks just as modern as then. Timeless.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Merlin House, Croydon

The former National Aircraft Factory, built in 1930s, is today Merlin House, offices of the Mechanical Services Ltd

Photo by Metropol 21 @ Flickr

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Alternate Olympics

Postcard for the All-Union Spartakiade, 1928
by Gustav Klutsis

Begun in 1928, the Spartakiade games were a Soviet version of the Olympics. The Soviets refused to participate in the "bourgeois" Olympics until 1952.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

ADMK Mulus

Produced in 1935, this Austrian wheel-cum-track tankette had the unique arrangement that was able to swing the front wheels upward via gear-driven arms. They then could be removed and put into brackets on the rear of the vehicle.
The rear wheels could also be removed by driving the tracks up on blocks. A strange feature was that the front arms acted as a framework for the driver's seat.
Powered by an air-cooled 20 h.p. Daimler engine, it was capable of speeds up to 10 mph on tracks and 27 mph on wheels.
Info: Bob Arndt, Strangevehicles

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Paris Metro, 1935

Sprague-Thomson stock with four cars at the terminus Porte d'Auteuil

Monday, June 13, 2011

Just a Prototype

Built in Zwickau in 1933, this streamline car was a radically revamped DKW Front, powered by a rear-mounted water-cooled 0.6-liter two stroke engine.
Only one built.
Source: Forum-Auto (FR)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Advertising Services

London Transport advertising services folder
Cover panel
Designed by Zero (Hans Schelger)
1938

Photo by mickeyashworth @ Flickr

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Culture Club

Proposal for the House of Culture in Leningrad
Architect: NA Trotsky
1924

via rdp4v @ LJ

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Monday, June 6, 2011

Billy-Clack

Agfa medium format (4.5 x 6 cm) camera,
manufactured in Munich
1936

Source: Sylvain Halgand Collection

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Czech Functionalism

J.K. Tyl School
Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
1925-28
Architect: J. Gočár

Source: profmedia.cz

Friday, June 3, 2011

Materialization of Fantasy

A cover for a book by Ilya Ehrenburg
Design: Alexander Rodchenko
1920s

More on 1920s Soviet book design @ Dieselpunks.org