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19 Amazing Vintage Photos That Show How People Worked Before AutoCAD
We here at Bored Panda really love finding some interesting facts from our past, preferably together with some vintage photos to illustrate them. This time we’d like to share with you how an essential profession – the drafting technician – looked like before computers began their reign. A drafting technician may work in many spheres – from architecture to manufacturing and is responsible for engineering drafts, architecture drawings, and house plans. To put it simply – no structure is ever built without them.
Technological advances cause some professions to cease to exist, but in the case of drafting technicians, it just made their desks smaller and tidier. AutoCAD was released in 1982, and by 1994 as many as 750 training centers had been using it worldwide. Before, drafting required pencils, erasers, t-squares, and much more time. And the photos below really show it. Looking at them, you can almost hear the rustling paper. Now, architecture design, electrical and other drafters are mainly clicking their mouse and keyboard.
Scroll down to check out what the old days were like. As the saying goes – the more you know, the less you need!
(h/t dyt, vintageeveryday)
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Some professionals instantly related to the rarely seen pictures
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What do you think ?
Bob Beltcher 7 years ago
My father worked as a draftsman as a subcontractor for NASA in Houston. I remember spending the summers helping him organize D and E size paper. When I was a freshman in high school I took a draftsman course and designed my own house. 20 years later I still have my finished blue prints which I scored a 99 on (chimney was off a foot on the plot plan). I will build that house one day.
Natalie C 7 years ago
I've been a graphic designer for almost 40 years and that's how we use to work. Lots of changes since then, but the most life-changing thing is that now it is super expensive to ply my trade. Use to be I just needed an exacto blade and a few pens and pencils. Nowadays, my equipment and programs are expensive and need to be constantly upgraded.
Mark Grudzinski 7 years ago
I hear you! I miss the craft aspect of design... working with my hands and not having to rely on the latest software.
Load More Replies...
cpd228 7 years ago
I started out as a draftsman in Oak Ridge, TN in 1969 and was proud to have worked on the Apollo Lunar Sample Return Container (Moon Box) which was designed and built at my plant. I got to watch the evolution of drafting well past what is shown in the photos. Hand drawing was a craft and I admired so many older co-workers and their skills. Fond memories!
Mark Hofreiter 7 years ago
I worked in offices not unlike those above! We smoked too! Yikes!! On linen, velum and Mylar. Ink, pencil and plastic leads. T-squares and so-called drafting machines. These years were 1974 through 1979 and then I found a job with the first architect in a large southeastern city with the first CAD program (Autotrol) run on Sperry Univac mainframes and Tekronix green screen screen work stations. Am now working in 3D in Revit. It has been an amazing ride.
tednugentlives 6 years ago
ever had an engineer set a coffee mug on a drawing you just finished. The ring of shame. Aarrrrrrrgh!
Load More Replies... Bill 7 years ago
If US went to the moon with slide rulers and 8bit processing power imagine where we could be if we didn't focus on war for the past 50 years?
Katie and Jared Coates 7 years ago
Well Japan and Germany are good examples. They turned around and focused on technology and education.
Load More Replies...
Joanne Wright 7 years ago
Wow, I spotted only two women in total in all of these photos, and I had to look hard to find them. That is as big a change to the industry as the computerization, how successfully women have moved into the field.
Kenny Kulbiski 7 years ago
Saw a documentary last night about designing the Concord airplane. There were literally thousands of engineers and draftsmen drawing things. I can't imagine how they kept it all straight.
diane a 7 years ago (edited)
I once had an old industrial drawing board from around the 1950's. Got it from the factory where I worked when they turned to CAD in the early 90's. Cast iron stand, 5ft by 4ft drawing surface made of hardwood, ajustable from flat to completely upright with all the rulers and things on wires. Seriously heavy duty.
Rb Marcino 7 years ago
Still have my Dad's Drafting Table in my Graphics studio. He was a Mechanical Electrical Engineer in Philly who was a treasure to learn from growing up. The best was when he had offices in the Art Museum.
Load More Replies... Bob Beltcher 7 years ago
My father worked as a draftsman as a subcontractor for NASA in Houston. I remember spending the summers helping him organize D and E size paper. When I was a freshman in high school I took a draftsman course and designed my own house. 20 years later I still have my finished blue prints which I scored a 99 on (chimney was off a foot on the plot plan). I will build that house one day.
Natalie C 7 years ago
I've been a graphic designer for almost 40 years and that's how we use to work. Lots of changes since then, but the most life-changing thing is that now it is super expensive to ply my trade. Use to be I just needed an exacto blade and a few pens and pencils. Nowadays, my equipment and programs are expensive and need to be constantly upgraded.
Mark Grudzinski 7 years ago
I hear you! I miss the craft aspect of design... working with my hands and not having to rely on the latest software.
Load More Replies... cpd228 7 years ago
I started out as a draftsman in Oak Ridge, TN in 1969 and was proud to have worked on the Apollo Lunar Sample Return Container (Moon Box) which was designed and built at my plant. I got to watch the evolution of drafting well past what is shown in the photos. Hand drawing was a craft and I admired so many older co-workers and their skills. Fond memories!
Mark Hofreiter 7 years ago
I worked in offices not unlike those above! We smoked too! Yikes!! On linen, velum and Mylar. Ink, pencil and plastic leads. T-squares and so-called drafting machines. These years were 1974 through 1979 and then I found a job with the first architect in a large southeastern city with the first CAD program (Autotrol) run on Sperry Univac mainframes and Tekronix green screen screen work stations. Am now working in 3D in Revit. It has been an amazing ride.
tednugentlives 6 years ago
ever had an engineer set a coffee mug on a drawing you just finished. The ring of shame. Aarrrrrrrgh!
Load More Replies... Bill 7 years ago
If US went to the moon with slide rulers and 8bit processing power imagine where we could be if we didn't focus on war for the past 50 years?
Katie and Jared Coates 7 years ago
Well Japan and Germany are good examples. They turned around and focused on technology and education.
Load More Replies... Joanne Wright 7 years ago
Wow, I spotted only two women in total in all of these photos, and I had to look hard to find them. That is as big a change to the industry as the computerization, how successfully women have moved into the field.
Kenny Kulbiski 7 years ago
Saw a documentary last night about designing the Concord airplane. There were literally thousands of engineers and draftsmen drawing things. I can't imagine how they kept it all straight.
diane a 7 years ago (edited)
I once had an old industrial drawing board from around the 1950's. Got it from the factory where I worked when they turned to CAD in the early 90's. Cast iron stand, 5ft by 4ft drawing surface made of hardwood, ajustable from flat to completely upright with all the rulers and things on wires. Seriously heavy duty.
Rb Marcino 7 years ago
Still have my Dad's Drafting Table in my Graphics studio. He was a Mechanical Electrical Engineer in Philly who was a treasure to learn from growing up. The best was when he had offices in the Art Museum.
Load More Replies...
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