Christmas Party at Herman Miller

Save the date and get in the Christmas spirit with these vintage designs created by the Herman Miller Company for their 1978 Employee Christmas Party.

Fa la la
Design: Linda Powell. Source: West Michigan Graphic Design Archives
Ho Ho Ho
Design: Linda Powell. Source: West Michigan Graphic Design Archives
Smack
Smack? Yeah, like under the mistletoe. Design: Linda Powell. Source: West Michigan Graphic Design Archives

Featured image: Jingle Christmas Party Poster, Linda Powell, Herman Miller, Inc. Source: Western Michigan Graphic Design Archives

Libbey Golden Foliage

Remember the Silver Foliage glassware by Libbey? Well here’s the more popular Golden Foliage in a less common shape: the sugar and creamer set with a metal caddy, and the 16 oz. hostess pitcher with a removable handle. Found, unexpectedly, at a freecycle event.

Handle off.
What else are you gonna use a sugar cube for?
Both items shown here in the 1962 Libbey catalog.

And now, a Canadian Analysis of the Holidome

Talking about Holiday Inn Holidomes: The Holidome was a one-stop vacation destination. Why couldn’t it keep up with the times?

Only two photos, of unidentified Holidomes, but includes this analysis:

At many Holidomes, the humidity from the indoor pools would damage the domed ceiling and make the inner-courtyard-facing rooms damp and stuffy… “While the maintenance of these domed structures is really costly, they’re very easy to demolish, and you still can keep the hotel”

David Israelson/Drew Sinclair

More on the Holidome:

Ode to the Holidome

Topeka West Holidome

G.I. Joe Recovers the Lost Mummy!

Source: 1972 Sears Wishbook.

This 1972 set has all the essential/most fun archaeological gear: helicopter, ATV, machete, pick and shovel (the shovel is my pick), and … animal trap (what, is Roy Chapman Andrews coming along, too?). That mummy is not getting away from the Joes. With inflation, this $14.49 set would cost about $90 today – actual G.I. Joes not included.

Vintage Suburban Barware: Libbey Silver Foliage Glasses

Not that long ago, I picked up a set of drinking glasses and matching ice bucket from an antique store down the shore. These glasses were made by the Libbey Glass Company and it’s easy to find sets of this pattern, Silver Foliage, on eBay, Etsy, and other sites, especially if you search for “vintage Midcentury Modern glasses.” It’s no surprise, since Libbey was, and still is, one of the biggest manufacturers of drinking glasses.

Libbey’s most popular patterns were sold for decades. According to some internet sources, Silver Foliage was produced between 1957 and 1978. The Golden Foliage pattern was introduced the same year and produced through 1982 – so those vintage Midcentury Modern glasses on eBay could actually be from the Disco Era.

The tumblers and ice bucket in this undated ad match our set.

Golden Foliage was so popular that other manufacturers copied the design on their own glasses (our set has Libbey’s cursive “L” maker’s mark on the bottom of each glass). Meanwhile, Libbey was busy putting the two foliage patterns on different styles and types of glassware (check out the tray and carafe in the ad below). You could probably develop a detailed chronology of Silver Foliage by the yearly catalogs put out by the company; unfortunately they do not seem to be available online.