Favorites: Plan 59

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One of my favorites sites to waste time on is Plan59.com. They offer the most impressive collections of lush retro graphics on the web. These images are taken from commercial artwork, most from the Fifties and Sixties. The high-res scans they create eventually become prints you can buy, clipart for Corporate America or eye candy for nerds like me to enjoy.


Plan 59.com

The site was created in 1999 as Ephemera Now. While I happened to like that moniker, it was deemed too cerebral for the average putz. In 2006 the site became Plan 59, which I can only assume is an homage to the year Detroit reached the pinnacle of tail fin technology: 1959.

But chrome and fins are only part of the story. Images scanned from Mid-Century ads include modern kitchens, wacky products and sporty swimsuits. There's even a section of artwork from vintage produce crates!



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