What did families of the fourties have on their walls?

[SuperKawaiiMama]

I'm looking for some era appropriate (late 40's) art work to hang in my kitchen and family room. But I'm stuck for ideas. It seems that when people go for the vintage look it is common practice to use old advertising photos from the time. But I imagine that this was not common practice in households of the era.
I have a couple of large spaces crying out for just the right thing but I don't know where to look or what the subject matter should be. Short of hanging a picture of HRH, does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[just_me]

Here are some of the artists that were popular in the 40s.

Jackson Pollock,Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Motherwell, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Piet Mondrian, Arshile Gorky, Adolf Gottlieb, Hans Hofmann, and Andrew Wyeth.

 

[carouselvic]

Prints that come to my mind are LONE WOLF, THE LAST SUPPER, FOUND, END OF THE TRAIL and THE GARDIAN ANGEL. There are a lot more but, they are not coming to me at this moment. Add THE STORM and LOST and CHERUBS of all types.

 

[Paisley]

A lot of families had wallpaper on their walls. My great-grandfather was a professional wallpaper hanger and my grandmother was proficient at it. In fact, it was said that the only thing holding up their house was wallpaper.

My other grandparents put up a lot of family portraits, but only in the bedrooms.

 

[Jay]

Pictures of landscapes and houses are always pretty timeless. While abstract expressionism was pretty hip back then, I doubt many families would have such contemporary artwork. I was thinking more towards Dogs Playing Poker. Or is that too played out?

But then again, I may be wrong, after all. I collect pictures of Indians and sailing ships.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My grandparents' house, which was pretty much unchanged from 1945 until 1980, had an ornate pseudo-oriental bas-relief plaque (bought at Woolworths), a series of three decorative silhouettes showing an Edwardian lady and gentleman, and a large rectangular mirror on the living room walls, a color photo of FDR from a Sunday newspaper supplement (along with a similar photo of JFK added in the sixties) and a generic seascape on the wall of the room they used as an office, a gas-station calendar on the wall in the kitchen, and a small picture of Jesus on the bedroom wall. All of the rooms were wallpapered.

Family photos were small, and were displayed in frames on end tables.

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

A lot of families had wallpaper on their walls. My great-grandfather was a professional wallpaper hanger and my grandmother was proficient at it. In fact, it was said that the only thing holding up their house was wallpaper.

My other grandparents put up a lot of family portraits, but only in the bedrooms.

Yes, after wallpapering a section of my bedroom, I am leaning towards this as a solution for the largest empty wall. I'm thinking about something tropical with matching pinch pleats just to take it into over the top territory.

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

Here are some of the artists that were popular in the 40s.

Jackson Pollock,Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Motherwell, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Piet Mondrian, Arshile Gorky, Adolf Gottlieb, Hans Hofmann, and Andrew Wyeth.

I wonder if people would have been so modern or cashed up as to have these in their homes though? Were prints of these popular too?

I may just have to start trawling junk stores to see what I can come up with. Some of the more popular prints here now cost a pretty penny. Like the green Chinese lady print (can't remember what she's called). You can't find one of these for under $350 these days.
It's always the problem of instant gratification too. When you get a bee in your bonnet and just have to have something for a space, it is never there to be found.

 

[Feraud]

I doubt most people then (as today) are interested in modern art enough to hang it on their walls.

I will post photos of the artwork available through a typical Sears catalog of the 40s. This will show what was offered at the time. Think landscapes, flowers, birds.

 

[Tomasso]

My folks liked Irish landscapes and still lifes on the walls and family photos on the furniture.

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

Feraud: Thank you that would be fantastic!:eusa_clap

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

I'm sure it varied greatly, depending on the owner's personality and budget, just like today. Family photos have always been popular. I bet *painted* family portraits, for those who could afford them, would've been on display. Landscapes, or reproductions of famous paintings, are pretty classic. Mirrors, too. Well-placed, framed mirrors can add lots of visual space to a room.

I'm trying to picture rooms from old movies and can't pinpoint anything! I'll pay more attention in the future.

It's always the problem of instant gratification too. When you get a bee in your bonnet and just have to have something for a space, it is never there to be found.

Isn't that the truth! Even worse is finding "perfect" framed pictures, going to lots of trouble repainting the frames, then walking into a thrift store and finding an even more perfect set and realizing you have no more wall space. :eusa_doh: And that's why I have two fake-paned-window frames with lake scenes sitting in my closet.

 

[Sefton]

You might also want to check out some of the photographs available at online image archives. If you search here at the lounge you'll find links to some of the best ones. One of my current favorites is www.shorpy.com/ There are some very good images of home life that may give you some ideas.

 

[Paisley]

This is where I bought a nice print of Benson's "Summer." Their prices seem pretty reasonable.

http://www.globalgallery.com/index.php

 

[tuppence]

Being a Melbourne girl like yourself, it has taken me years to fill the wall space within my price range.
I was going to suggest Marygolds and Parish.
There used to be a place near Vic Market that sold vintage pictures, that never seemed to be open.
And then you said tropical and all my ideas flew out the window.
Tropical bird prints maybe.

 

[tuppence]

Forgot to add

I looked through vintage postcards on the U.S.A ebay and saved the images or bought the postcards of the ones I liked and got a couple blown up....just at OfficeWorks and framed them.



Hot enough for you

 

[dr greg]

duck

Three flying ducks, or else Tretchikoff, Parrish, or Leeteg

 

[Rachael]

I would second Lizzie's suggestion of sillhouette art. My grandparents and parents had many of these, some looked like portaits, other were shadow art scenes. They all reflected late victorian hairstyles and dress, which would have been the ages of parents or grandparents of those owning homes in the '40s.

here are some examples of the style I mean:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://store.ornamentz.com/catalog/3346-3334.jpg&imgrefurl=http://store.ornamentz.com/Categories.bok%3Fcategory%3DVictorian%2BPrints%253ASmall%2BFramed%2BPrints%253ABlack%2B%2526%2BWhite%2BSilhouette&usg=__j35VqlWMqEThlx2gfxxHypWHnGs=&h=175&w=175&sz=9&hl=en&start=14&um=1&tbnid=ky6bSXXMFBBouM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsilhouette%2Bvictorian%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us

 

[Sefton]

If you want something a bit tropical there's painted mirrors. My grandparents had two large rectangular mirrors that had big tropical birds painted on them. I believe they may have been white Cockatoos. I fairly sure that these were 1940's pieces. I saw one a few years back in an antique store for big $$$, although things like that are quite overpriced in the S.F. bay area.

 

[Forgotten Man]

It seems that when people go for the vintage look it is common practice to use old advertising photos from the time. But I imagine that this was not common practice in households of the era.

TRUE!!! I used to decorate with vintage advertising art but, have since stopped for that reason. Now, I do confess, my kitchen has a few old tin signs but, not in the bedroom or living room. Soon, I hope to have mostly period art that I pick up at flea markets and antique shops. My self, my home is a 1912 farm house and has a mix of 20s to 40s stuff... mostly late 20s to late 30s. I like mostly the pre-war years. I have a weakness for late 20s and early 30s art... moonscapes and reverse painted glass paintings and pastel pin ups of the early 30s. Pretty much whatever I find, that's within my period I like I pick it up.

My self, if you're thinking of wallpaper, go for it! Then, hit the antique shops! You can find some interesting or rather nice prints in original frames for not a lot of money if you look carefully. You want to find them in the original frame... that’s how the true authentic look is achieved. Even if they're a little rough around the edges, it will transport you back to the era. Nothing wrong with a little caricature.

Good luck!