There’s nothing new in imagining what the future might look like, and science fiction is far from the only artform with a monopoly on doing so. However, as the future becomes the present, so does our imagined future become part of our past. And here are a few illustrations of that process…
Houses of the future

The House of the Future by Peter and Alison Smithson, Daily Mail Ideal Home Show 1956

The House of the Future by Peter and Alison Smithson, Daily Mail Ideal Home Show 1956

The House of the Future by Peter and Alison Smithson, Daily Mail Ideal Home Show 1956

The House of the Future by Peter and Alison Smithson, Daily Mail Ideal Home Show 1956

The House of the Future by Peter and Alison Smithson, Daily Mail Ideal Home Show 1956

The House of the Future by Peter and Alison Smithson, Daily Mail Ideal Home Show 1956

Frigidaire Kitchen of the Future, 1956 Motorama
Clothes of the future

Pierre Cardin with his models, late 1960s

Advert for a tuxedo rental company – wtf?

Bubble hats for Braniff International Airways, Emilio Pucci

Cabin crew uniforms for Braniff International Airways, Emilio Pucci

Beach cape, Fontana Sisters

Gilet, Pierre Cardin
Giant computer brains

IBM 360 Model 67

The office of the future

Univac 9400

IBM 360

Early HSBC mainframe

Bell Labs, 1960
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January 20, 2014 at 10:05 pm
It’s like when you watch Metropolis or the old Flash Gordon Serials of the 1930’s…on one hand you wonder “What were they thinking?” And on the other…”Gosh…that would have been so cool!”
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