National Museum of American History
Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future
August 7, 1984 – September 30, 1984
See more than 300 objects—toys, models, posters, photographs, costumes, advertisements, drawings—created by artists, engineers, inventors, film makers, and other visionaries of the last 100 years.
Highlights include:
- Prototype of a nuclear-powered car
- Model of Buckminster Fuller's 1927 Dymaxion House
- Backdrop of Los Angeles from the film Blade Runner
- First edition of H.G. Wells's The Time Machine
- Model of submarine from the film Fantastic Voyage
- Two futuristic paintings by Robert McCall
- Model of 1955 Lincoln Futura (from which the "Batmobile" was developed)
An introductory film (18 mins.) suggests the role that science fiction movies have played in our visions of the future. Included are excerpts from:
- Trip to the Moon
- Things to Come
- Star Wars
- 2001
- Just Imagine
- Metropolis
- Forbidden Planet
- Blade Runner
- Sleeper
- The Day the Earth Stood Still
Organized by SITES and sponsored by Champion International, the exhibition toured the U.S. after closing at MAH.
Catalogue
Related publication: Visions of the Future (Robert McCall's art)
Related merchandise for sale includes posters, T-shirts, aprons, toys (especially robots), postcards, mugs, electronic jewelry
