Bridging A Generational Divide
- katrinagocan
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
What does a rare compendium of demonology, published in the 1700’s have to do with 1950’s housewives? Absolutely everything! It’s a beautiful and magical marriage made in heaven (or hell).
The overly sweet and excessively sentimental American advertisements from the 1940s and 50s are the perfect foil to the outrageous depictions of imagined demonology from the 18th century. These ads present such an absurdly outdated view of society that, when paired together, make me burst into uncontrollable giggles.
Both, the advertisements and the demon illustrations, are self-righteous and loud in their moral messages; “Buy this brand new washing machine and have time for gossip with friends,” “ Get this carpet installed, and have more time to look after your man,” “ Watch your impure thoughts, or you’ll get ripped apart in hell,” “ Don’t be a nag, or you’ll end up a demon witch and no one will love you.” Come to think of it, they really aren’t that different in their messaging, maybe that’s the reason they merge together so well.
I have an absolute treasure trove of vintage magazines. I confess to being a selective hoarder, and for some reason, books, papers and magazines are my kryptonite. I'm terrified of ending up on the television show Hoarders after my body is found buried under piles of musty paper products. I admit, not the absolute worst way to die, but still….
Combine my obsession with paper with online archives of historical manuscripts, and we're ready to play!
Here are a few of my initial digital collages, created using scanned advertisements from old magazines and digitized illustrations from the past:
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