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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