Using reference continued...

The 1950's

RESEARCH REFERENCES: 
BBC. 
'Brutalism Post War British Architecture' by Alexander Clement. 
Essential Home. 
History Today article by Roland Quinault
'Marks in Time' Marks & Spencer archives. 
marshallfoundation.org.uk .
'Mid- Century Modern' by Vanessa Louie.
Robert Frank photography. 
The Daily Mail. 
'The Fifties Source Book - A Visual Guide to the Style of a Decade' by Christopher Pearce. 
tate.org.uk .
The RSC archives. 
'Vivien Leigh An Intimate Portrait' by Claire Bloom. 

Visits too: 'The Play's the Thing' RSC. 
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. 

After extensive reading and note taking, I have created my own research catalogue in my work folder. 

The 1950's – A brief review from a visual perspective.

'The legacy of the second World war left deep scars to Britain. Vacant bomb sites, damaged buildings and homes, abandoned war time military bases remained throughout the cities. A culture of 'grow your own' ingrained, with allotments decorating the British countryside.

The war still hummed around family homes, with Grandparents and parents, full experience, wisdom and stories of the wartime efforts.

However the 1950's bought a time of new opportunity, a new beginning. A post war baby boom welcomed new life and children filled the streets, playing hopscotch, marbles and conkers freely.

With Labours housing efforts, low cost homes sprung new life into towns and cities.

New design confidence within the home introduced open plan living. Fitted kitchens in bubble gum colours, with matching vinyl and chrome chairs. Tall American fridges and diner inspired commodities became fashionable. The microwave had just been invented, along with the ironing board. Avant Garde seating, sofas with clean edges, tapered legs in geometric forms were popular. Console table and coffee tables made in walnut, or metal and glass. New materials were invented too, polyurethane made it cheaper and easier than ever before to create cushions, sofas and pillows on an industrial scale. Whilst previously the 1940's saw a fashion trend of floral prints, the 1950's paved a new way of bold primary colours, and print frenzied decoration filling small rooms with wallpapers, fabric prints and lampshades.

The Queens coronation on the 2^nd of June, 1953 was a celebration for the country and popular TV viewing for British families.

Colour television meant that advertising could be beamed into homes in the most visual way yet increasing the success of the retailer.

Most shops that decorated the streets were traditional, family run independent stores however Marks and Spencer, soon became the family favourite for clothing.

Class divisions were reflected in how one dressed. Working men caps and clothes suitable for manual labour, dirty and worn by the end of a hard day. Whilst the middle class gentlemen typically wore suits with white collars, long coats with umbrellas.

Women would be seen in bright and vibrant colour, going about their day to day business, pencil skirts, petticoats, glamorous shapes and colourful prints, polka dots. As much as the 'housewife' was the most popular role amongst women of this time, they could still go about their day in the most fashionable manor, a “ready to wear” fashion phenomena thanks to newly available fabrics and dyes and an excitable consumer market… Still trending today on the high street.

Your news came from newspapers, the British media dominating the press. Morning train commuters with broadsheets in hand.

Cars were for the wealthy, an expensive way to get around. However, the Ford Anglia can be seen parked outside a terraced home.

Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley filled homes and cinemas with a 'Hollywood' feel glamour. Drive in cinema's and a hunger and ambition of a charismatic future. Pop artist Andy Warhole later using iconic images to create pop art portraits, most famously Marilyn Monroe. Introduced in the 1950's pop art went on the flourish in the 1960's. By creating art and sculpture, inspired by the bright and bold colours of the 50's and using mass culture objects and media stars, the pop art movement aimed to blur the boundaries between high art and low culture. Art for all'.