The House that Came in the Mail Again
99% Invisible5 Loka 2021

The House that Came in the Mail Again

The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early 20th century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. Anyone anywhere in the country could order a copy for free, look through it, and then have anything their heart desired delivered directly to their doorstep. At its peak, the Sears catalog offered over 100,000 items on 1,400 pages. It weighed four pounds. Today, those 1,400 pages provide us with a snapshot of American life in the first decade of the 20th century, from sheep-shearing machines and cream separators to telephones and china cabinets. The Sears catalog tells the tale of a world -- itemized. And starting in 1908, the company that offered America everything began offering what just might be its most audacious product line ever: houses.

Buy The 99% Invisible City!

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.

Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(778)

Names vs The Nothing

Names vs The Nothing

New Public Sites is an investigation into some of the invisible sites and overlooked features of our everyday public spaces. These are the liminal spaces within cities that are not traditionally frame...

6 Elo 201212min

Some Other Sign that People Do Not Totally Regret Life

Some Other Sign that People Do Not Totally Regret Life

Sean Cole is a poet and he knows what you think of that. He is also a radio producer. One night, drunk and stumbling around the Hudson River with his friend Malissa O’Donnell, he discovered a monument...

25 Heinä 201216min

Purple Reign

Purple Reign

What’s the difference between what the public sees and what an architect sees when they look at a building? The hotel on the very prominent corner of Touhy and Kilbourn Avenues in Lincolnwood, Illinoi...

13 Heinä 201219min

Kickstarter Video for Season 3 of 99% Invisible

Kickstarter Video for Season 3 of 99% Invisible

This is the Kickstarter video for funding the new season of 99% Invisible. If you enjoy the show and want to help keep it going, now is the time to go to our funding page and chip in a little. … Conti...

12 Heinä 20122min

What Gave You That Idea

What Gave You That Idea

Starlee Kine’s friend Noel works in advertising. In 2003, Noel was working in at an agency in Richmond, VA. Everyone wanted to work on flashy spots like Apple or Nike or Gatorade. Do you know what was...

28 Kesä 201214min

Frozen Music

Frozen Music

Goethe said, “Architecture is frozen music.” I like that. Of course that was before audio recording, so now, for the most part, music is frozen music. It’s only very recently in the history of music t...

14 Kesä 201210min

The Best Beer in the World

The Best Beer in the World

If you’re a beer nerd, or have a friend who’s a beer nerd, you’ve heard of Belgian beers. Belgians take beer very seriously. Amongst the 200 Belgian breweries, there’s a very specific sub-type: Trappi...

31 Touko 201213min

The Colour of Money

The Colour of Money

US paper currency is so ubiquitous that to really look at its graphic design with fresh eyes requires some deliberate and focused attention. So pull out a greenback from your wallet (or look at a pict...

16 Touko 201217min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
psykopodiaa-podcast
herrasmieshakkerit
rss-rahamania
taloudellinen-mielenrauha
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
rahapuhetta
lakicast
rss-startup-ministerio
rss-draivi
rss-sami-miettinen-neuvottelija
sijoitusovi-podcast
juristipodi
rss-lahtijat
rss-uppoava-vn-laiva
rss-rikasta-elamaa
rss-sisalto-kuntoon
rss-myynnilla-on-asiaa-kert-kenner