The Original Victory Gardens
I love old seed catalogs. This is one of my favorites. A Salzer Seed Catalog from 1941!
The pictures have that beautiful vintage look but more interesting is that this catalog is dated January 2, 1941 putting it at a very important time in history - the midst of WW 2. The era of the original Victory Garden. Within the pages there is a letter from the president of Salzer Seeds, Mr. Kenneth E. Salzer, encouraging Americans to plant gardens to help their country. You should read it. It's really cool. (Click on the images to enlarge for reading / viewing.)
If you read this letter from the president you have to get the sense that life is coming full circle. Moving back to eating local.
Purty, huh? Spring is in the air! OK - so I'm exaggerating. Let's just call it a burst of color on a drabby winter day.
I am joining Suzanne’s Vintage Thingy Thursday so check it out. There’s always lots of fun stuff!
I like those pictures better than the ones in newer catalogs. I could enlarge the picture pages, but not the page with the text.
ReplyDeleteThe graphics on the seed packages are great. I love vintage advertising.
ReplyDeleteI love looking through old catalogs and a seed catalog would be fun also. Love the pictures..don't the veggies look good. Makes me want to run right out to the back and get started..oh wait!! It's still winter. *sighs. Spring will come soon.
ReplyDeleteTHis is just great and right up my alley. Thanks for sharing it. Too bad we can't place an order!
ReplyDeleteOk - the page with text should enlarge when you click on it. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteMaureen, I love your old seed catalog! The illustrations are so beautiful, worthy of framing. Mother Earth is waiting.....I love that!
ReplyDeleteHappy VTT!
Carol
they are just lovely..i bet you can't wait for the first signs of spring :)
ReplyDeleteWow, those are fabulous! Honestly - Really really well done. So much care went into everything I think. It sometimes makes me sad that it isn't the same.... sigh
ReplyDeletehappy vtt!
We used to plant most everything from a little package of seed. You have some really nice vintage ones. Brought back some back breaking memories.
ReplyDeleteWow! Vintage plant porn! I just received my first seed catalog and I'm all a flutter! I can't wait to start my tomato plants! Thank you for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice catalog, the illustrations of the veggies is beatuiful. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteThe text was just wonderful and so are the beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right...we've come full circle and now its our duty to eat local, not just for our country but for our planet! Fabulous post!
WoW! That was fun. Love looking at the old flower pictures. It was definitely a nice burst of color on a drabby winter day!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect post for January. It's fun when the spring catalogs come out in January and lifts the spirits and let's us dream of Spring and gardening. I can hardly wait, as Texas' Mother Nature has gone haywire this year and it's really been cold! Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures and ads. I hope you'll have a chance to get by and see my First VTT post of Head Vases.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that your post today took us back to simpler times. They were probably harder for women's work but somehow the innocence then was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Jo
Love the graphics. and thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures would be great framed, lovely graphics..puts the modern ones to shame! Happy VTT!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a vintage seed catalog so this one was fun to look at. The letter is still pertinent today. We would all be much better off if we had the wherewithal to grow our own food. Did you see the testimonial for the "Earliest Coreless carrot" at the bottom? LOL SO quaint. I wonder if that was the precursor of our modern carrots? Do carrots have cores? Thanks for stopping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of 1940s catalogues and photos. There's an elegance and simplicity in them that's so much more appealing than so much of the brashness now. I look forward to seeing more.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I love it too!
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous illustrations. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHello Maureen, your seed catalog is awesome. My dad planted a Victory Garden and won $100. for the best garden in our city. We have is photo standing in front of his winning garden and it was in the paper. Boy, you sure hit on a memory.
ReplyDeleteThank you soooo much.
Hugs, Jeanne
Love the old seeds catalogs! My Mom has some at her house and I love browsing through them.
ReplyDeleteI love your vintage seed catalog! So fun to see the beautiful colors and graphics and to read old articles. Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting. Miss Bloomers
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool piece. Not only for it's beautiful photos but for the historical aspect as well. It's interesting to read how people adapted their lives to help out during WWII.
ReplyDeleteJane
So Maureen...are you looking at any seed catalogs for spring planting? I'm already thinking about gardening. January is the fun month to browse through those seed catalogs and have high hopes.
ReplyDeleteWishing spring was here at Lakewood,
Cindy
Hi Maureen...
ReplyDeleteI love looking at seed catalogs and gardening magazines dreaming of having a beautiful garden. But, I don't have even a teensy weensy itty bitty little bit of a green thumb. I have tried many, many times and my garden turns into a disaster :( I have had a tiny bit of success with roses and tomatoes, but that is about it. Wouldn't it be great if more of America grew our own gardens? I am trying again this year...wish me luck :)
Toni