Broyhill Premier Sculptra Brochure

I have been on the hunt for an original Broyhill Sculptra brochure for years. A reader was cleaning out their parents' vintage Broyhill Sculptra furniture and happened to find one in a drawer. And she was nice enough to send me a copy.

On the front of the Broyhill Sculptra brochure is a letter from Broyhill's President at the time, Paul Broyhill.

It reads:

Dear Customer:

Furniture is a very personal belonging ... very much a part of a family's life and likes. The same piece of furniture in different homes seems to match the mood of each setting.

The success of any piece of furniture depends on its ability to lead a full family life ... to belong ... without showing undue signs of stress and stain. It has to be durable as well as beautiful ... to anticipate your demands for the new and exciting ... to show the results of the fine craftsmanship and care that went into its making.

Broyhill Premier is this "kind" of furniture. We're pleased that you have selected it for your home ... pleased that you recognize and appreciate fine quality. You will find suggestion for its care on the back cover of this booklet.

Why don't you take a look into your furniture-buying future now and select one or more of the other available Sculptra pieces sketched for your convenience inside this booklet?

Sincerely,

(signed)

Paul Broyhill,

President

On the inside is the original Sculptra by Broyhill Premier line.

The Sculptra sales copy reads:

Continental wit and sophistication of Sculptra ... the sensitive detailing and restrained enrichment. Yet quite American its versatility of use ... adaptability to changing living patterns ... and consideration for today's room sizes. Bleached and then hand-rubbed to a rich patina is the fine-grained walnut, and most distinctive the slate-toned Colorlith table and credenza tops. Though luxurious in appearance and function ... Sculptra is so modest in price.

And the back has tips for how to care for your Broyhill Sculptra furniture.

The Broyhill Sculptra care tips read:

How to care for Sculptra

The high quality materials and careful craftsmanship which go into Broyhill Premier's Sculptra grouping are worthy of respect. Like anything else, Sculptra will serve you better and give you more enjoyment if you will give it good care.

Don't allow wood pieces to touch or sit too near hot radiators. When moving furniture, always lift it, never drag it.

Dust lightly ... never bear down ... and then cleanse the beautifully finished walnut grains with a soft cloth slightly moistened with water. This removes dust particles which, tiny as they are, have sharp edges. Wipe the surface dry with a soft, clean cloth.

Then polish with a special dull sheen polish which will retain the present soft lustre, such as Johnson's or Old English. Avoid unknown "concoctions" ... and always use a soft, dry cloth.

Note how the hand-rubbed finish brings out the charm of nature's chance variations in the color and grain of walnut. In the past, wood was finished to an unreal uniformity. In Sculptra, the natural variations of true grain are preserved and heightened, eliminating artificiality.

You don't have to "baby" your Sculptra furniture. Lovely as it is, it's rugged, too. But like the finish of your automobile, like your clothing, in fact, like anything you're proud of, it should be treated with respect. If you have children, impress them with this fact.

With just a little care, you'll enjoy your Sculptra pieces through the years.

I'm so happy to have the original Broyhill Sculptra brochure to reference. It answers some questions about the line: we can now confirm that there was a Broyhill Sculptra canopy bed but that it was originally called a Broyhill Sculptra poster bed. And you could order a Broyhill Sculptra desk with a "portable typewriter shelf" on the left or a file cabinet on the left. There are also three different Sculptra mirrors.

But it also raises some questions, I don't see my Broyhill Sculptra dresser with six drawers; it looks like the Sculptra drawer chests on a shorter platform base. So you may have been able to mix and match some select pieces of Sculptra furniture.

And some Broyhill Sculptra pieces had Colorlith top options. Colorlith, according to its trademark registration is, "Inorganic fiber reinforced cement sheets treated for high chemical resistance and adapted particularly for use as laboratory table tops, shelves, drain boards, fume hoods, window stools, and other types of furniture." So that's some pretty heavy-duty furniture. I've never seen a piece of vintage Sculptra furniture with a Colorlith top, so I wonder how popular it was.

I will also be using Old English furniture polish or Johnson's polish (which, I'm guessing is now called Pledge) to clean all of my Sculptra furniture in the future.

I'm so happy this Broyhill Sculptra brochure is finally in a digital form for the internet to use. Just a few years ago there was little known about the line, and now we're getting close to knowing everything.

Broyhill Premier Sculptra Dresser for Sale

Room Service Vintage in Austin currently has a Broyhill Premier Sculptra dresser for sale in their store. It looks like it's in pretty good condition. If you've been looking for one, I suggest you stop by soon.

Official Olympic Posters from London

I didn't know this till recently, but Olympics have an official poster. And London has hosted the summer Olympics three times: 1908, 1948 and 2012.

So, if you're like me, you instantly think, "That could be a great poster set for any mid-century or mid-century modern home." Turn of the century, mid-century, modern – sounds like a perfect tryptic for any mid-century modern enthusiast who's also a sports fan, London fan, etc.

But, 1908 didn't have an official poster because the Olympics didn't start producing official Olympic posters till 1912. Still, there's an official Olympics program from 1908 designed by A.S. Cope:

OK, so 1908 is out for posters. A poster from 1908 would probably pretty rare anyways. That still leaves the mid-century and the modern poster.

Here's the 1948 official Olympics poster designed by Walter Herz:

But then the Brits had to get cheeky, there are 12 official Olympic posters for the 2012 Olympics. You can see all of them here.

13 posters is a lot. No one's that crazy about the Olympics (I don't think). So, let's narrow it down. The London 2012 Festival Official Guide has the poster designed by Rachel Whiteread on the cover:

And the 1948 Olympic Games Official Souvenir had that year's poster on the cover:

So, Rachel Whiteread's Olympic poster might be just a little more official than the other official Olympic posters.

And those two would make a pretty nice set next to each other in any mid-century modern house.

And as a conversation starter, you could point out that if you look closely at the hands on Big Ben in the 1948 Olympic poster, you'll see the time is 12:20. Or if you're British, 20 past 12. 2012.

Daphne Padden Vintage Posters

Daphne Padden is another mid-century artist from Britain that there's not a lot of info about online. Padden was born on May 21, 1927 and was the daughter of Percy Padden, a travel poster illustrator himself. Her own career in poster illustration spans from the 1950s to '70s. She did work for British European Airways, the Post Office Savings Bank, M&S Trust House Forte and Pall Mall cigarettes – and probably a few others. Her most famous mid-century poster illustration work is for the Royal Blue Coach Services.

Daphne Padden died in 2009. You can see more of her amazing mid-century posters at Quad Royal. Any of these vintage posters would be a great addition to a travel-themed nursery.

Harry Stevens Vintage Posters

Not a whole lot is know about artist Harry Stevens. He was born in 1919 and died in 2008 and between 1960 and 1978 he designed posters for the London Transport.

The London Transport Museum has a short Harry Stevens bio:

With no formal art training, Harry Stevens started his design career in the exhibitions and display trade. He went on to become a prolific freelance commercial artist, specialising in poster design. He worked for a wide variety of clients and agencies and in 1963 won the Council of Industrial Design Poster Award. In 1955 he joined the Society of Industrial Artists and was elected Fellow ten years later. He was also a member of the Society of Modern Painters.

Beyond that it's hard to find any addition info, but Harry Stevens' art work speaks for itself.