Saturday, November 20, 2010

Australian Gothic

Art deco style decoration roof top of the Manchester Unity building,
220 Collins Street (Cnr Swanston Street), Melbourne
Built 1932
Architect: Marcus Barlow

Photo by Chris&Steve @ Flickr

Friday, November 19, 2010

Flying Youth

By Gustav Klutsis, 1934

Not so happy picture as at seems, considering the fate of both the artist and the 8-engine plane pictured above (and below):
ANT-20 Maxim Gorky smaller brother, the ANT-20bis aka PS-124, flew in 1938. After four years in service, on December 14, 1942, it too crashed after the pilot allowed a passenger to take his seat momentarily and the passenger apparently disengaged the automatic pilot, sending the ship into a nosedive from an altitude of 500 m (1,500 ft) and killing all 36 on board.
Poster via x ray delta one @ Flickr

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Autostrada

Italy was the first country in the world to build freeways, the first one being the Autostrada dei Laghi (Autostrada of the Lakes), from Milan to Varese, built in 1921 and finished in 1924. This system of early motorways was extended in the early 1930s with the Autostrade Milano-Bergamo, Naples-Pompeii south to Naples, Florence-Sea, north to Florence, Bergamo-Brescia, Turin-Milan, Venice-Padua.
Marcello Nizzoli, poster for Lampo
1930

Monday, November 15, 2010