Mid-Century

“Os Distraídos,” Emmérico Nunes, 1949 on Flickr.

1949 illustration by Emmérico Nunes. Scanned from the 1971 book “O Livro do Automóvel,” page 31. Writen by Filipe Nogueira, published by Editorial Verbo, Portugal.

Click image for 680 x 372 size.

Illustration on page 31, “The Absent-Minded”: “They’re those who dangerously take to the street to meditate on their business affairs, completely oblivious to the world around them.

They look without seeing, creating false situations to car drivers.

They read their newspaper on the street; follow absurd trajectories, change directions to, all of a sudden, wake up, and go through impossible routes.

To them danger is always something unforeseeable and when it comes they can’t avoid it because their reactions must perforce be tardy and uncontrolled.

They live in the moment and are therefore constantly creating situations where they can die.

They’re the ones who justify the policeman’s whistle and the car’s horn.”