According to the blog The Flying Fortress, there are “two flavors of dieselpunk”: a pre-nuclear “Ottensian” dieselpunk (named after me!), which revels in the bliss and progress of the 1930s, and a post-nuclear “Piecraftian” dieselpunk, which is sometimes post-apocalyptic.
Continue reading “Decodence”Nick Ottens
Nick Ottens created The Gatehouse and the Gatehouse Gazette, one of the first and only magazines devoted to dieselpunk and steampunk, in 2008. The Gatehouse became Never Was in 2018. Nick also writes for the Atlantic Sentinel and Forgotten Trek.
Interview with Sam van Olffen
Sam van Olffen is a talented dieselpunk artist from France whose work has been featured at exhibitions throughout the world. He kindly agreed to answer some questions about himself, his work and his thoughts about the genres his creations are associated with.
Continue reading “Interview with Sam van Olffen”
Lady Liberty in Ruins
Gerry Canavan has assembled a great collection at his blog of depictions of New York’s Statue of Liberty in various states of decay. We spot vintage pulp covers and posters of modern-day films such as The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Cloverfield (2007) as well as imagery from comics and video games like Red Alert 2 (2000).
Continue reading “Lady Liberty in Ruins”
Ješted Tower
This peculiar sight is the Ješted Tower: a 94-meter tall structure on top of the Ješted Mountain near the town of Liberec in the Czech Republic.
The tower was built between 1963 and 1968 by architect Karel Hubácek. In its lower sections it houses a hotel and restaurant, the interiors of which are delightfully retro. In its upper sections are numerous transmitters for television broadcasts.
Continue reading “Ješted Tower”
Hitler’s Super Train
This enormous double-decker train was supposed to connect the major cities of Hitler’s Germany on broad three-meter gauge tracks.
The Breitspurbahn, as it was called, was a personal pet project of Adolf Hitler’s, who enthusiastically embraced a suggestion from his building master, Fritz Todt, to construct a new high-capacity rail system for Germany. Continue reading “Hitler’s Super Train”
Steel Ball Sanatorium
More giant snow globes? Not exactly. This odd thing stood in Cleveland, Ohio and was known as the “Timken Tank” after the man who built it, a H.H. Timken. Continue reading “Steel Ball Sanatorium”
The Art of Art Fitzpatrick
Art Fitzpatrick is one of those forgotten heroes of the Golden Era whose romantic advertisements for period automakers as Lincoln, Pontiac and Studebaker continue to enchant up to this very day.
Continue reading “The Art of Art Fitzpatrick”
Viceregal Lodge, Simla
This old photograph of the Viceregal Lodge in Simla, India comes from the 1909 book Trans-Himalaya: Discoveries and Adventurers in Tibet by the Swedish explorer and topographer Sven Hedin, which can be read in full at Project Gutenberg. Continue reading “Viceregal Lodge, Simla”
Desert Modernism in Palm Springs
With a collection of historical photographs of the city of Palm Springs, Architectural Digest celebrates “the innovative style and legacy of legendary architects and designers who left their mark on this California desert oasis.”
Continue reading “Desert Modernism in Palm Springs”
New World Order
Throughout World War II, Allied policymakers pondered how to rearrange the world once victory was achieved. Oftentimes their thinking confined itself to the outlines of postwar Europe, but some schemes were more ambitious. Continue reading “New World Order”