Slide show on American culture in the 1950s

1. The
1950s
Counter
Culture
Art
109A:
Contemporary
Art
Westchester
Community
College
Fall
2012
Dr.
Melissa
Hall

2. America
in
the
1950s
In
1941
Henry
Luce,
founder
of
Time,
Life,
and
Fortune
magazines,
forecast
the
dawn
of
a
new
“American
Century”
in
which
the
U.S.
would
become
a
new
world
leader
Henry
Luce,
founder
of
Time,
Life,
and
Fortune
magazines
Image
source:
hNp://www.infowars.com/behind-­‐the-­‐panic-­‐financial-­‐warfare-­‐over-­‐future-­‐of-­‐global-­‐bank-­‐
power/

3. America
in
the
1950s
The
warTme
partnership
between
industry
and
government
jumpstarted
the
economy,
and
brought
the
financial
crisis
of
the
1930’s
to
a
close
Dean
Cornwell,
Serving
the
Na5on,
1943
Image
source:
hNp://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=923

4. America
in
the
1950s
The
United
States
emerged
from
the
war
with
a
booming
economy
and
a
new
sense
of
global
importance
The
era
of
American
isolaTonism
had
come
to
an
end
Dean
Cornwell,
Serving
the
Na5on,
1943
Image
source:
hNp://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=923

5. America
in
the
1950s
In
1952
President
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
was
elected
with
the
promise
of
“peace
and
prosperity”
President
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
in
the
Oval
Office,
Feb.
29,
1956

6. America
in
the
1950s
Under
his
administraTon
faith
was
restored
in
American
capitalism
President
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
in
the
Oval
Office,
Feb.
29,
1956

7. America
in
the
1950s
The
poliTcal
acTvism
of
the
1930’s
was
replaced
by
a
new
American
liberalism
that
emphasized
individual
freedom
and
free-­‐enterprise
William
Gropper,
Strike
Image
source:
hNp://www.marxists.org/subject/art/
visual_arts/painTng/american/gropper/
index.htm
Art
front,
1934
Nov..
Harry
GoNlieb
papers,
Archives
of
American
Art,
Smithsonian
InsTtuTon.hNp://www.aaa.si.edu/collecTons/images/detail/art-­‐front-­‐490

8. America
in
the
1950s
The
“American
Dream”
made
the
capitalist
pursuit
of
material
wealth
a
patrioTc
ideal
and
an
expression
of
personal
freedom
Image
source:
hNp://todaysinspiraTon.blogspot.com/2006/11/acer-­‐war-­‐suburbia.html

9. America
in
the
1950s
The
G.I.
Bill
offered
soldiers
substanTal
benefits,
including
free
educaTon,
job
training,
and
mortgage
and
business
loans
Returning
veterans
could
choose
from
school,
job,
business,
and
farm
assistance
from
the
GI
Bill.
(Folder
13,
Box
36,
Defense
Council
Records,
OSA)
Image
source:
hNp://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/exhibits/ww2/acer/gi.htm

10. America
in
the
1950s
Returning
vets
married,
seNled
down,
and
had
babies
-­‐-­‐
lots
of
them!
A
veteran
and
his
wife
look
at
plans
and
dream
about
their
future
together
in
their
new
home
financed
by
a
GI
Bill
loan.
(Folder
14,
Box
37,
Defense
Council
Records,
OSA)
Image
source:
hNp://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/exhibits/ww2/acer/gi1.htm

11. America
in
the
1950s
Middle
class
expansion
led
to
the
dramaTc
growth
of
suburbs
Image
source:
hNp://www.capitalcentury.com/1951.html
Bernard
Hoffmann,
for
Life
Magazine,
Bernard
Levey
Family
Image
source:
hNp://Tgger.uic.edu/~pbhales/LeviNown.html

12. America
in
the
1950s
The
family
car
became
a
conspicuous
symbol
of
middle
class
prosperity
Vintage
automobile
ad
Image
source:
hNp://www.graphicmania.net/30-­‐inspiring-­‐vintage-­‐
adverTsements-­‐and-­‐creaTve-­‐direcTons/
Vintage
automobile
ad
Image
source:
hNp://justoldcars.com/?p=2327

13. America
in
the
1950s
TV
became
the
center
of
family
life,
and
a
prime
purveyor
of
the
“American
Dream”
Vintage
TV
ad
Image
source:
hNp://www.graphicmania.net/30-­‐inspiring-­‐vintage-­‐
adverTsements-­‐and-­‐creaTve-­‐direcTons/
Family
watching
television,
c.
1958
NaTonal
Archives
and
Records
AdministraTon

14. America
in
the
1950s
The
family
home
became
a
site
of
consumpTon
for
new
products
that
promised
a
golden
age
of
suburban
domesTcity
Vintage
appliance
ads
Image
source:
hNp://goldcountrygirls.blogspot.com/2011/08/rhapsody-­‐in-­‐blue-­‐appliances.html

15. America
in
the
1950s
The
home
itself
became
a
“machine
for
living”
as
efficiency
and
modern
design
replaced
the
cluNer
of
a
bygone
era
Image
source:
hNp://davidbuildsahouse.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/fiNed-­‐kitchens-­‐in-­‐the-­‐1950s-­‐and-­‐1960s/

16. America
in
the
1950s
Faith
in
progress
was
expressed
through
the
popularity
of
modern
design
in
everything
from
furniture
to
toasters
and
cars
Image
source:
hNp://csales-­‐mylifestory.blogspot.com/2011/12/beNer-­‐homes-­‐and-­‐gardens-­‐1950s.html

17. America
in
the
1950s
Prosperity
bred
new
forms
of
leisure
and
the
birth
of
the
family
vacaTon
Image
source:
hNp://ranch-­‐wife.blogspot.com/2012/06/road-­‐trip-­‐
homeward-­‐bound-­‐to-­‐california.html
The
First
McDonald’s
franchise
opened
in
Des
Plaines,
Illinois,
1954.
Photograph
by
andy
Felsenthal/
Corbis
.
Image
source:
hNp://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-­‐150940/The-­‐first-­‐McDonalds-­‐restaurant-­‐opened-­‐by-­‐Ray-­‐Kroc-­‐
was-­‐made

18. America
in
the
1950s
But
the
1950’s
was
also
a
period
of
great
psychological
anxiety
Time
Magazine
April
12
1954
Image
source:
hNp://www.Tme.com/Tme/covers/0,16641,19540412,00.html

19. America
in
the
1950s
The
Soviet
Union
detonated
its
first
Atomic
bomb
in
1949
Russian
Atomic
Bomb
test,
Kazakhstan,
August
29,
1949
Image
source:
hNp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_atomic_bomb_project

20. America
in
the
1950s
In
the
same
year
a
communist
government
was
installed
in
China
Mao
Tse
Tung,
Time,
Feb
7,
1949
Image
source:
hNp://www.Tme.com/Tme/covers/0,16641,19490207,00.html

21. America
in
the
1950s
The
Korean
War
(1950-­‐1953)
was
a
direct
outcome
of
the
Cold
War,
as
U.S.
forces
fought
to
stem
the
expansion
of
communism
Image
source:
hNp://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/JimKyle/
KoreanWar/oklahoman_1950_06_25_arTcle.jpg
Image
source:
hNp://wps.pearsoncustom.com/wps/media/objects/2428/2487068/atlas/atl_ah6_m004.html

22. America
in
the
1950s
Tensions
heated
up
again
in
1957
when
the
Soviets
launched
Sputnik,
the
first
earth
orbiTng
satellite
Sputnik,
the
Soviet
satellite
that
launched
the
the
race
to
the
moon
Image
source:
hNp://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071004.html

23. America
in
the
1950s
America
responded
with
Explorer
1,
as
the
Space
Race
took
the
Arms
Race
into
outer
space
Explorer
1,
America’s
first
earth
satellite,
launched
January
31,
1958
Image
source:
hNp://whiNleseaspacerace.wikispaces.com/Cold
+War+and+Space+Race
A
model
of
Explorer
1,
held
by
JPL's
Director
William
Pickering,
scienTst
James
Van
Allen
and
rocket
pioneer
Wernher
von
Braun.
Image
source:
hNp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Explorer_1_conference.jpg

24. America
in
the
1950s
Fear
of
nuclear
Armageddon
was
matched
by
widespread
anxiety
about
the
spread
of
communism
Image
source:
hNp://www.conelrad.com/books/print.php?
id=267_0_1_0
Cover
to
the
propaganda
comic
book
"Is
This
Tomorrow"'
published
in
1947
by
the
CatecheTcal
Guild
Wikipedia

25. America
in
the
1950s
This
was
the
era
of
Senator
Joseph
McCarthy
who
led
a
witch
hunt
against
alleged
communist
sympathizers
within
the
US
State
Department
Senator
Joseph
McCarthy,
Time,
March
8,
1954
Hank
Walker,
Sen.
Joseph
McCarthy
swearing
in
author
Dashiell
HammeN
at
Senate
Permanent
InvesTgaTng
CommiNee
hearing
on
Communism,
1953.
HammeN
is
suspected
of
being
a
communist.
LIFE

26. America
in
the
1950s
The
House
Un-­‐American
AcTviTes
CommiNee
(HUAC)
invesTgated
communist
acTviTes
amongst
American
ciTzens
HUAC
Hearings,
1947
Image
source:
hNp://dornsife.usc.edu/cdd/civic/bmus/The%20CiTzens%20CommiNee%20to%20Preserve
%20American%20Freedoms%20(CCPAF).html

27. America
in
the
1950s
The
film
and
broadcast
industries
were
invesTgated
Ten
members
of
the
Hollywood
industry
that
refused
to
tesTfy
were
cited
for
contempt
The
Hollywood
Ten
in
November
1947
waiTng
to
be
fingerprinted
Red
Channels,
a
pamphlet-­‐style
book
issued
by
the
journal
CounteraNack
in
1950
Wikipedia

28. America
in
the
1950s
The
film
industry
responded
with
the
“Hollywood
Blacklist”
-­‐-­‐
a
list
of
individuals
suspected
of
communist
affiliaTons
Image
source:
hNp://lisagilford.com/category/blacklist/

29. America
in
the
1950s
American
arTsts
came
under
aNack
as
well
FBI
files
were
kept
on
arTsts
such
as
Pablo
Picasso,
Ben
Shahn,
and
other
suspected
communist
sympathizers
FBI
File
on
Pablo
Picasso

30. America
in
the
1950s
The
poliTcal
acTvism
of
the
1930’s
had
become
dangerous
in
the
context
of
the
1950’s
“red
scare”
Art
front,
1934
Nov..
Harry
GoNlieb
papers,
Archives
of
American
Art,
Smithsonian
InsTtuTon.hNp://www.aaa.si.edu/collecTons/images/detail/art-­‐front-­‐490

31. America
in
the
1950s
The
1950s
also
witnessed
an
emerging
“counter
culture”
that
rebelled
against
American
“consensus
culture”
“Americans
of
1950s
sought
consensus-­‐-­‐everyone
should
fit
into
an
"American"
mold,
those
who
didn't
were
seen
as
dangerous.”
hNp://mrfarshtey.net/notes/
The_1950s.pdf
Norman
Rockwell,
Easter
Morning,
1959

32. America
in
the
1950s
“Humorously
depicTng
a
suburban
family
going
to
church,
Rockwell’s
slick
commercial
illustraTon
for
the
Saturday
Evening
Post
captured
the
conformism
of
1950s
America.
Yet
it
also
hints
at
postwar
malcontent:
the
male
breadwinner
of
this
middle-­‐class
household
hides
in
his
Eero
Saarinen
chair,
trying
to
escape
from
familial
and
social
obligaTons.
Neo-­‐Dada
and
Beat
arTsts
similarly
felt
suffocated
by
the
conformity
of
1950s
consensus
culture,
and
reacted
by
creaTng
a
powerful,
dissonant,
and
opposiTonal
aestheTc.”
Erika
Doss,
Tewen5eth
Century
American
Art,
p.
141
Norman
Rockwell,
Easter
Morning,
1959

33. America
in
the
1950s
William
H.
Whyte
criTcized
the
conformism
of
American
corporate
culture
in
The
Organiza5on
Man
–
epitomized
by
the
image
of
the
“man
in
the
flannel
suit”
William
H.
Whyte’s
The
Organiza5on
Man,
1956

34. America
in
the
1950s
“Regarded
as
one
of
the
most
important
sociological
and
business
commentaries
of
modern
Tmes,
The
Organiza5on
Man
developed
the
first
thorough
descripTon
of
the
impact
of
mass
organizaTon
on
American
society.
During
the
height
of
the
Eisenhower
administraTon,
corporaTons
appeared
to
provide
a
blissful
answer
to
postwar
life
with
the
markeTng
of
new
technologies—television,
affordable
cars,
space
travel,
fast
food—and
lifestyles,
such
as
carefully
planned
suburban
communiTes
centered
around
the
nuclear
family.
William
H.
Whyte
found
this
phenomenon
alarming.”
hNp://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/
book/13785.html
William
H.
Whyte’s
The
Organiza5on
Man,
1956

35. America
in
the
1950s
Many
expressed
concern
about
the
growing
power
of
mass
media
Typical
American
family
gathered
around
TV,
which
displays
John
F.
Kennedy's
face,
to
watch
debate
between
Kennedy
&
Richard
Nixon
during
presidenTal
elecTon,
1960
LIFE
Image
source:
hNp://www.flickr.com/photos/76438106@N07/galleries/72157629652639701

36. America
in
the
1950s
Vance
Packard
aNacked
adverTsing
and
TV
as
agents
of
social
conformism
“In
The
Hidden
Persuaders,
first
published
in
1957,
Packard
explores
the
use
of
consumer
moTvaTonal
research
and
other
psychological
techniques,
including
depth
psychology
and
subliminal
tacTcs,
by
adverTsers
to
manipulate
expectaTons
and
induce
desire
for
products,
parTcularly
in
the
American
postwar
era.
He
idenTfied
eight
"compelling
needs"
that
adverTsers
promise
products
will
fulfill.
According
to
Packard
these
needs
are
so
strong
that
people
are
compelled
to
buy
products
to
saTsfy
them.
The
book
also
explores
the
manipulaTve
techniques
of
promoTng
poliTcians
to
the
electorate.
The
book
quesTons
the
morality
of
using
these
techniques.”
Wikipedia
Vance
Packard,
Hidden
Persuaders,
1957

37. America
in
the
1950s
The
Civil
Rights
movement
was
also
launched
in
the
1950s
–
challenging
the
exclusion
of
blacks
from
the
promise
of
the
American
Dream
Rosa
Parks,
defying
segregaTon
laws
by
si{ng
in
the
Front
of
a
Montgomery
Alabama
Bus,
1956
Image
source:
hNp://www.infoimaginaTon.org/ps/marTn/rosa.html

38. America
in
the
1950s
“One
of
the
most
important
legal
decisions
in
U.S.
history,
the
1954
Supreme
Court
case
Brown
v.
Board
of
EducaTon
of
Topeka,
Kansas
declared
school
segregaTon
unconsTtuTonal
and
paved
the
way
for
the
civil
rights
achievements
of
the
1960s.
By
overturning
the
"separate
but
equal"
doctrine
established
in
Plessey
v.
Ferguson
(1896),
Brown
v.
Board
of
EducaTon
began
the
process
of
unraveling
more
than
half
a
century
of
federally
sancToned
discriminaTon
against
African
Americans.
As
a
result,
it
also
iniTated
a
struggle
between
a
government
now
obligated
to
integrate
all
public
schools
and
recalcitrant
African
American
students
arriving
at
Central
High
School,
LiNle
Rock,
communiTes
determined
to
maintain
Arkansas,
in
U.S.
Army
car,
1957
the
status
quo.”
Image
source:
hNp://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civilrights/cr-­‐exhibit.html
hNp://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/
features/archive/0507/
photo_essay.jsp?page=1

39. America
in
the
1950s
The
emergence
of
“Rock
‘n
Roll”
was
also
a
rebellion
against
the
normaTve
values
of
middle
class
“consensus
culture”
Drawing
on
African
American
rhythm
and
Blues,
and
trading
on
sexually
charged
lyrics
and
dance
moves
(Presley’s
famous
gyraTng
hips),
the
music
inspired
a
youth
rebellion
against
the
moral
strictures
of
middle
class
society
Elvis
Presley
in
concert,
1956.
Image
source:
hNp://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/01/taking-­‐care-­‐of-­‐business-­‐elvis-­‐
presley-­‐picture-­‐of-­‐the-­‐day/

40. America
in
the
1950s
Hollywood
stars
like
James
Dean
similarly
expressed
rebellion
against
the
normaTve
ideal
of
the
flannel-­‐
suited
“organizaTon
man”
James
Dean,
Rebel
without
a
Cause,
1955
James
Dean,
in
Rebel
without
a
Cause,
1955
Image
source:
hNp://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20star%20pages/Dean,%20James-­‐Annex.htm

41. Counter
Culture
The
true
“rock
stars”
of
the
1950’s
counter
culture
were
the
Beat
poets
Image
source:
hNp://pacificastatueproject.org/2011/03/the-­‐1950s-­‐counterculture-­‐is-­‐born-­‐in-­‐san-­‐
francisco/

42. Counter
Culture
The
Beat
poets
rebelled
against
the
arms
race,
consumerism,
government
censorship,
and
the
conformity
of
American
culture
“As
Life
magazine
put
it,
the
Beats
were
“against
virtually
every
aspect
of
current
American
Society:
Mom,.
Dad,
PoliTcs,
Marriage,
the
Savings
Bank
.
.
.
to
say
nothing
of
the
AutomaTc
Dishwasher,
the
cellophane-­‐wrapped
Soda
Cracker,
the
Split-­‐level
House
and
the
.
.
.
H-­‐
bomb.”
Cited
in
Erika
Doss,
TwenTeth
Century
American
Art,
p.
149
Gregory
Corso,
Allen
Ginsberg,
William
Burroughs,
MareLa
Greer
at
Opening
of
Timothy
Leary's
Media5on
Center,
Hudson
Street,
February
15,
1967
Vintage
gela5n
silver
print,
printed
1967
Steven
Kasher
Gallery

43. America
in
the
1950s
They
explored
alternaTve
lifestyle,
hallucinatory
drugs,
and
sexual
freedom
Richard
Avedon,
Peter
Orlovsky
and
Allen
Ginsberg,
New
York
City,
December
30,
1963.
Image
source:
hNp://www.gagosian.com/exhibiTons/richard-­‐avedon-­‐-­‐may-­‐04-­‐2012/exhibiTon-­‐images

44. America
in
the
1950s
The
so-­‐called
“Beatniks”
of
the
1950s
were
the
predecessors
of
the
Hippies
of
the
1960s
Image
source:
hNp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatnik

45. Counter
Culture
One
of
the
landmark’s
of
the
Beat
Poet
movement
was
Alan
Ginsberg’s
Howl
–
a
poem
that
embraced
taboo
topics
such
as
drugs
and
homosexuality
Allan
Ginsburg,
Howl,
1956

46. Counter
Culture
“In
an
age
plagued
by
intolerance,
"Howl"
(1956)
was
both
a
desperate
plea
for
humanity
and
a
song
of
liberaTon
from
that
intolerant
society.
Ginsberg’s
use
of
a
griNy
vernacular
and
an
improvisaTonal
rhythmical
style
created
a
poetry
which
seemed
haphazard
and
amateur
to
many
of
the
tradiTonal
poets
of
the
Tme.
In
"Howl"
and
his
other
poems,
however,
one
could
hear
a
true
voice
of
the
Tme,
unencumbered
by
what
the
Beats
saw
as
outdated
forms
and
meaningless
grammaTcal
rules.”
hNp://www.pbs.org/wnet/
americanmasters/database/
ginsberg_a.html
Allan
Ginsburg,
Howl,
1956

47. Counter
Culture
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road
was
about
a
cross-­‐country
road
trip
that
he
wrote
in
three
weeks
Jack
Kerouac,
On
the
Road,
1951

48. Counter
Culture
“The
book
was
.
.
.
completed
-­‐-­‐
from
start
to
finish
-­‐-­‐
in
only
three
weeks.
And
he
used
just
one
long,
scrolled
piece
of
paper,
improvising
endlessly,
just
like
a
jazz
musician
caught
up
in
the
excitement
of
spontaneous
creaTon.”
hNp://www.npr.org/programs/
morning/features/patc/ontheroad/
#media
Original
manuscript
of
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road
Kerouac
with
the
manuscript
to
On
The
Road
Image
source:
Image
source:
hNp://www.amazon.com/Road-­‐50th-­‐Anniversary-­‐Jack-­‐Kerouac/dp/0143142739
hNp://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/dec/02/jack-­‐
kerouac-­‐road-­‐birmingham

49. “This
was
really
an
aNack
on
the
whole
wriTng
process.
No
"pages"
just
wriTng
in
a
pure
and
thoughtless
approach.”
hNp://maNhewlangley.com/blog/archive/
2007_08_01_index.html
Original
manuscript
of
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road,
1957
Image
source:
hNp://maNhewlangley.com/blog/archive/2007_08_01_index.html

50. Counter
Culture
The
photography
of
Robert
Frank
represents
a
pictorial
correlate
to
the
“artlessness”
and
griNy
subject
maNer
of
the
beat
poets
Robert
Frank,
The
Americans,
1958

51. Counter
Culture
“Jack
Kerouac's
preface
to
the
original
American
ediTon
lauded
Frank's
ability
to
suck
"a
sad
poem
right
out
of
America
onto
film,"
and
Kerouac
ranked
Frank
not
among
other
photographers
but
"among
the
tragic
poets
of
the
world.”
Newsweek
Robert
Frank,
Poli5cal
Rally,
Chicago,
1956
From
the
Americans,
1958
Metropolitan
Museum

52. Counter
Culture
Using
an
“artless”
street
photography
approach,
Frank
presented
an
un-­‐
romanTcized
image
of
what
he
considered
to
be
the
“real”
America
of
the
1950’s
Robert
Frank,
Parade
-­‐-­‐
Hoboken,
New
Jersey
From
the
Americans,
1958

53. “Frank
published
his
book
when
the
cold
war
was
at
its
height,
when
the
civil-­‐rights
movement
was
in
its
infancy
and
when
people
worried
about
things
such
as
juvenile
delinquency
and
the
bomb,
but
for
the
most
part
the
country
was
sunk
in
a
complacent
prosperity.
In
that
atmosphere,
"The
Americans"
looked
like
a
slap
in
the
face.
Its
subjects
did
not
look
happy—there
are
only
a
couple
of
smiling
faces
in
the
whole
book.
More
ocen
than
not,
they
looked
pensive,
distracted,
suspicious—even
angry.”
Newsweek
Robert
Frank,
Hoboken
From
the
Americans,
1958

54. “The
shot
of
a
New
Orleans
streetcar,
with
white
people
up
front
and
African-­‐Americans
in
the
back,
perfectly
captured
the
naTon's
racial
divide.”
Newsweek
Robert
Frank,
New
Orleans
Trolley
From
the
Americans,
1958

55. Counter
Culture
 Artlessness
 Embrace
of
the
“commonplace,”
the
“ordinary,”
“vulgarity”
Original
manuscript
of
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road
Image
source:
hNp://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/dec/02/jack-­‐
kerouac-­‐road-­‐birmingham
Robert
Frank,
New
Orleans
Trolley
From
the
Americans,
1958