John Player & Sons cigarettes have had the most stunning packaging in the tobacco industry for decades, and it looks like their cigarette cards were just as lovely.

This set, Cycling: a Series of 50, from 1939 chronicles the history of cycling–as it was. It’s a stunning account of fashion and human ingenuity served up by the classiest pack of cigarettes on the market (or are they no longer on the market?).

Enjoy.

Once again, I thank the internet for an endless supply of baffling treasures. Tonight’s treat is from this site, which appears in my bookmarks as “knoppen.” It’s an incredible catalog of Cliff Muskiet’s thirty-year collection of flight attendant’s uniforms–literally hundreds of airlines are showcased.

These are just a few of my favorites.

I think the best part might be the heartbroken mannequin.

Benjamin Ferencz’s Selectism column points to the remarkable bespoke work of Freeman’s Sporting Club. FSC’s clothes are made from deadstock cotton, wool, and other unused materials from the 1950s and 1960s. Their works are built to last and designed to age beautifully.

Although that kind of custom tailoring is way over my paygrade, the select pieces available for sale at Refinery29 move FSC’s collection from the fantastic to the merely aspirational.

[Read: I'm not going to spend $300 on a sweater, but I wouldn't be afraid to try it on.]

For the past two years I’ve found it a rare treat every time a new post goes up on Hi + Low, graphic designer Abby Clawson Low’s catalog of wonderful things. Her red, white, and blue compositions, love of office supplies, and use of clean, human layouts are endlessly charming.

Enjoy.

Also, she recently co-founded a ladies clothing line, Harvey Faircloth, with a pretty hot vintage-inspired collection.

The New York Public Library may be a terrible employer, but boy do I love their digital archive. To be fair, I love their proper archives too, but being in Austin hampers my access a tad.

The Mid-Manhattan Library’s media collection includes thousands of manilla-foldered files filled with clippings. I can only imagine the effort that must have gone into filling those folders. A legion of flickering scissors dancing through a hundred years of magazines, catalogs, and newspapers.

This incredible set of images comes from an artist listed only as A.D.H., 1895. If only Scott Schuman could have captured this.

And my favorite…

The ever lovely Archival Clothing uncovered an article on the 1938 Everest attempt led by a Mr. H. W. Tilman.

I love the gators and patch pockets, buttoned jacket and a bucket hat over the oxygen apparatus.
Such a treat.

[Archival Expedition: Everest 1938]