bad banana blog

Marching

Snapshots from the 1932 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, purchased at an estate sale in a small Texas town in 2006. You can see more of the photos and read the whole story here.

In 1932, the unemployment rate in the United States was a whopping 23.6 percent. I know times are tough for a lot of people right now and this past year has been filled with economic unease for everyone. Sometimes it's good to see that life marches on and smiles can be found around an upcoming corner.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it. To everyone else, best wishes for the rest of the year and beyond.

Via Swaptorium.

Gentleman Warrior

The perfect umbrella for the gentleman warrior on your holiday shopping list. Choose from Masterful Samurai, Medieval Barbarian, or Triumphant Cavalryman. Designed by Materious. Available for purchase here.

Via Weirdomatic.

19th-Century Board Games

A collection of board games from the 1800s. For many more, including board games going all the way back to the 1500s, head on over to this wonderful article. One of my favorite posts on one of my all-time favorite blogs.

Via BibliOdyssey.

Teabag Mug

Nice, minimalistic design. Handmade in the USA. Purchase yours here.

Via Swiss Miss.

Skin Deep

In her Skin Deep series, Texas-based artist Mona Marshall explores the idea that life iis a fabrication masking an invisible infrastructure. According to the artist's statement, "Skin, like paper, may be fragile and easily torn or cut. It is generated by what is underneath and can be destroyed by it as well."

Via Art MoCo.

Broken Things

Chilean artist Livia Marin explores the issues of brokenness and recuperation in her latest exhibit, Broken Things, now on display at the House of Propellers gallery in London. The show runs through November 7.

Via It's Nice That.

Three Times A Day

Part of a larger campaign our studio created for the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Under the campaign theme of Impacting the World Three Times a Day, we produced a series of oversized recruitment posters to explain some of the big and little ways food scientists make the world a better place. Other headlines in the series include: "Deadly pathogens can run, but they won't be hiding in that frozen burrito" and "Saving the world from superbugs, as well as the not so super potato chip." The posters are being sent to high school seniors interested in science (most of whom will have never heard of the field of food science).

Copy and creative direction by Tim Siedell. Art direction by Yayle Roncka. Photo by rw/2. And yes, those are real food scientists (some of the top minds in the field, to be exact).

Forgotten Chicago

 

You won't recognize the name of Vivian Maier. A Jewish refugee of wartime France, Maier came to America in the 1950s and lived in Chicago until her passing in April of this year. She left behind no known relatives. In a storage locker, however, she left behind almost 40,000 undeveloped negatives of photos she took on the streets of Chicago during the 1960s and '70s. The collection was purchased at auction by John Maloof, who has been developing the photos and displaying them on his wonderful blog. Many more photos here.

Via Chicagoist.

Microbe Killer

William Radam was one of the most notorious 19th century snake oil salesmen in America. This distinctive logo, as well as his ambitious tagline "Cures All Diseases," makes his Microbe Killer tonic bottles a favorite of collectors today.

Via Morbid Anatomy.

The Long Barn Studio

For his architectural studio, Nicolas Tye created this 2,200 square foot addition right next to his award-winning barn conversion home in Bedfordshire. The studio utilizes rainwater harvesting, low energy lighting, and its very own wind turbine. Read more about the project (and see more photos) here.

Via Contemporist.