Exciting news for illustration and design enthusiasts! Modern Illustration, a new online archive celebrating the history of illustration, is now live.Â
Originally starting out as an Instagram account called Ephemerama! in 2018, modernillustration.org is a searchable collection featuring hundreds of illustrations from c.1950-1975. Over the past decade, I have gathered a wide range of ephemeral artefacts, featuring both well-known illustrators and those who have been overlooked in design history.
The archive features items such as brochures, leaflets, beermats, stamps and more. It provides an invaluable glimpse into the past and highlights how promotional materials hold important insights into the products, trends, and attitudes of a particular era. These rare and forgotten images are now available for inspiration and education for anyone interested in design, history, and culture.
As an illustrator and collector, Modern Illustration is a labour of love for me, and I am thrilled to share it with others. I believe that by developing a more comprehensive history of illustration, we can gain a better understanding of the evolution of design and its impact on society. I highly recommend this archive to anyone who shares this enthusiasm.
Š Zara Picken 2023 www.zarapicken.com












