While describing anything related to New York City in the 1950s as “Mad Men” is certainly an oversimplification, it does immediately conjure up a certain aesthetic, particular when it comes to illustrated advertising — a medium which, while near-extinct today, was the main mode of getting consumers to buy you product or idea in the post-WWII era.
A prolific illustrator, McCauley “Mac” Conner’s work appeared regularly in women’s magazines such as Redbook, Cosmopolitan, This Week Magazine, and Woman’s Day. Currently on exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, “Mac Conner: A New York Life” is a retrospective of Conner’s handpainted works, showing the obsession Americans had with the suburbs and the hopes of living an idyllic life away from the grays of the crowded cities.
“Mac Conner: A New York Life” is open now, and will be on display until January 19, 2015.
All images © Museum of the City of New York
