Vanda Gift Box ☜
Christmas in April? Why not! These illustrated numerals come from the panels of a six-sided gift box produced by Vanda Beauty Counselor, a cosmetics company similar to Avon. The artist is uncredited, though I’d be happy to add a name here if anyone recognizes the work.
While I do own my fair share of Fillmore posters and the like, I’ve grown to also appreciate this softer, kitschier side of psychedelic graphics — what I like to call “Mom-Psych.” Since so much of what we associate with the style is rooted in highly decorative and inherently crowd-pleasing Art Nouveau, it’s not surprising that mainstream companies like Vanda were able to usher a bit of psychedelia into mom’s powder room by the very late ’60s. Especially when imbued with a little mid-century folksy charm.
