atomic age poster art

November 7, 2006 4:26 PM

Do you know of a good place a guy could buy an atomic age pro-nuclear propaganda poster around here?

I'm trying to buy that special nuclear engineer in my life a super-cool 1950's era propaganda poster in support of nuclear power/bombs/rockets...whatever. She's got a fetish for modern art, so i'm trying to find something which mixes the svelt form of modern art with the horrifically naive idolization of the atom. However, i've come up dry in searching for atomic age art, nuclear posters, and the other general keywords that come to mind. Do you know of a specific organization or artist that might have this type of stuff? help me obi wan kenobi, you're my only hope.

posted by NGnerd to Shopping (6 answers total)

When I read your post I was immediately reminded of the time I drove through Arco, Idaho, which is near Atomic City, Idaho and the Idaho National Labs, where nuclear power was pioneered. The whole place had that bizarre 50's pro-nuclear vibe. For example, there were drawings of an atom on the side of the municipal garbage bins. And there were billboards on the side of the road telling us to come and tour the site of the first reactor.

I don't know how helpful that will be. Maybe you could contact the Idaho National Labs.
posted by PercussivePaul at 5:35 PM on November 7, 2006

How about a poster from the National Atomic Museum store?
posted by Fat Guy at 6:51 PM on November 7, 2006

Does it have to be American? There are tons of old Maoist and Soviet propaganda like that around custom-made for the illiterate masses.
posted by trinarian at 7:49 PM on November 7, 2006

PercussivePaul - That first nuclear power plant in Arco is a fantastic place to visit. I stopped there during a cross-country trip this summer and was really glad I made the detour ... but then, I'm a technology geek.
posted by pombe at 8:00 PM on November 7, 2006

Pombe - actually I did visit it, and I agree it's fantastic. See these photos on my blog.

We didn't get to go inside, since it was late in the evening, just as the sun was setting. But the experimental reactors they have on display were cool enough. Quite a site.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:51 PM on November 7, 2006

I found a poster of an atomic power plant on froogle here
posted by kookywon at 8:54 AM on November 8, 2006