10.03.09
Eric Baker | Today Column

Today, 10.03.09


The Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna houses one of the worlds finest and most extensive collections of design materials. Founded in 1864 as the Imperial and Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Industry, the MAK has a ongoing commitment to both the history and the future of design. 

This small group of posters, from their collection of over 15,000, shows a tiny glimpse of their vast collection. Works by such artists and designers as Jules Chéret, Toulouse-Lautrec, Klimt, Koloman Moser, Joseph Binder and Julius Klinger, as well as many lesser known, but equally important designers of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The collection is, naturally, extremely well organized into genre and artist and period — and easily searched. 

Another extraordinary online collection at MAK is the drawings of the Wiener Wekstatte. Comprising over 17,000 drawings and sketches, it is a treasure chest. The drawings document everything from everyday household items (such as ashtrays and dinner wear) to lighting and textiles. These small, precious sketches show the origins and thinking of the Seccessionist founders Josef Hoffmann, Moser and Dagobert Peche

Short of a trip to Vienna, MAK provides a wonderful stay-cation, although sadly without the coffee and pastries of Demel.

Here are Today’s images.










































































TODAY is a weekly jewel box of seemingly random, yet thoughtfully selected, images. At times tender, wicked, nostalgic, amusing, and dazzling, each edition is presented without narration, editing or explanation by its author, designer Eric Baker. "It all began as a goof. One day I sent a good friend about 50 random pictures of cheese. I don't know why, but to me cheese is funny, perhaps it is the word itself and its various connotations. Eventually I began looking closer, or should I say broader at 'things'. Things lost on the fringes...ordinary, odd, beautiful things. Esoteric images, old diagrams, typography, cartography — visions of a once promising but now extinct future."

Editor's Note: All images link to their original source and are copyright their original owners.





Comments [14]

Wow!
Yotam
10.03.09
01:39

More! More!
pat Taylor
10.03.09
03:10

Despite the fact that these adverts are so old, I still find them amazing to look at. They were so imaginative and also powerful at getting their message across.
Beth
01.06.10
02:06

this is really neat. these old school German advertisements (or maybe Austrian?) are the best. You should resume on posting such neat things.
Kerry S.
03.12.10
07:39

Beth, i think that ads like these are more than normal images, they have a lot of symbolism behind and they start strong emotions. Most of them are from Austria, but it is interesting to see them also in Belgium and other euro-countries.
Eric
03.27.10
03:46

The collection is very good & amazing. Since it reflects the very old era but still they hold up the fashion of today. Nice one to hold upon this. All the stuffs gives a meaning to the collection & symbolizes a lot. So overall good one.
Danny
07.27.10
07:58

Wow, endlich finde ich die alte Werbung mal. Finde vorallem die Humanic Werbung sehr interessant. Humanic hat sich in der Zeit einen richtig guten Namen gemacht und ist weltweit bekannt. Eine weitere Humanic Marke it Shoemanic. Mittlerweile gibt es diese Firma in fast allen Europäischen Ländern. Schön die alte Werbung zu sehen.
Nadja
08.11.10
07:45

Like Nadja just said, the Humanic Schuhe Advertising is cool as well as the Bally Schuhe, nice ads...

Tolle Werbung für Humanic Schuhe, sehr interessant
Daniel
08.11.10
07:47

I am loving the old school artwork. I am surprised that these type of art pieces has not made a comeback in the 21st century.
Lenny Krueger
12.18.10
01:12

wow that truly is a treasure chest just like the post said.that helps appreciate a lot of things at least for me.hope to see more such designs in your site soon.thanks
Michael
12.19.10
05:01

It is interesting to see how powerful the messages and design of these images still are. Despite the technology available to us today, a lot of the work being mass produced has no meaning, originality, or creativity. Such pieces deserve a comeback!
Oscar
12.19.10
07:37

A fantastic share, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in fact purchased me breakfast because I found it for him. smile.. So let me rephrase that: Thank you for the treat! But yeah Thnx for taking the time to talk about this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me. Two thumb up for this blog post!

Custom Logo Design
Logo Design
04.20.11
10:29

Despite the fact that these adverts are so old, I still find them amazing to look at. They were so imaginative and also powerful at getting their message across.
Lucas Adamski
05.01.11
11:02

Wow! These images are awesome! I love this style.
David
05.16.11
06:01


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