Category: Advertising

Expressions Of Holiday-Mandated Ardor

Feb 1941
Feb 1941

In this age of hoarders and storage units dotting the landscape, who couldn’t use a cedar chest on Valentine’s Day? Cedar looks and smells better than particle board, and it can hold a lot of old Life magazines, the kind that have these ads.

Once your valentine has a place to store her personals, she can’t wait to tackle the housecleaning. An organized house is great, but a sparkling clean one is even better. Consider giving the gift of Sani-Flush.

LifeFeb41-060It cleans incrustations! Find a way to use that word today, if you can. And if it’s not just the toilet bowl that reeks, consider Colgate to brush away the stench of her foul breath.

LifeFeb41-036

You may think a tube of toothpaste could be offensive, but any woman would delight in a reference to a deficiency in her personal hygiene. Still, if you want to go the extra mile, forget taking her to Fifty Shades of Gay. Women don’t like movies like that. What we really dig are inaugural films. This is sure to be right up her alley.

LifeFeb41-020

I can’t wait until the fourth inauguration comes out!

 

Braniff Airways Special

Comet51-026

 What a lucky group of students, off to fly the friendly skies in 1951.

But what’s going on here? Such eye-catching colors, he can’t help but be distracted.

http://brandedskies.com/
http://brandedskies.com/

Braniff had some great non-sexist ads as well. Check out the colors and the artwork on these!

http://www.dpvintageposters.com/
http://www.dpvintageposters.com/
http://frugalmaterialist.com/
http://frugalmaterialist.com/
wordsandeggs.wordpress.com
wordsandeggs.wordpress.com
http://www.retrosnapshots.com/
http://www.retrosnapshots.com/
http://www.dpvintageposters.com/
http://www.dpvintageposters.com/

Aren’t those fun? I could look at travel posters for hours. Maybe I will.

New York’s Bowery 1935

from "This Fabulous Century" Time Life Books
from “This Fabulous Century” Time Life Books

A dollar could go a long way in 1935. A haircut, a shave, and goulash–only 50¢!

from "This Fabulous Century" Time Life Books
from “This Fabulous Century” Time Life Books

After A Long Day Of Shaving Heads…

guinness

Here’s another “I Don’t Get It” ad from 1941, suggesting a pint of the “dark ruby ale” as a remedy for fatigue. Yes, technically, Guinness is not black or even brown, but red. The man buzz-cutting these recruits looks tired now. Is now a good time for Guinness? Should he pause in the middle of shaving heads? And speaking of head…

Bartenders are not being fussy when they insist on the double-pour. Unlike other taps, Guinness is dispensed through a five-hole disk restrictor plate. It supplies an uncommon amount of nitrogen, making the head extra-effervescent. As such, two shifts are needed: one to start the magic, and a second to finish the job. The perfect pint is said to take 119.5 seconds to pour. But who’s counting? (www.foodrepublic.com)

And did you know that Africa accounts for about 40% of Guinness’ total worldwide sales? I don’t get that statistic either.

The full ad ends with the tag: Guinness Is Good For You. Many years ago, pregnant Irish women were told to drink a glass of Guinness every day to fortify themselves and their baby. More sound advice. Sounds like it’s time for a pint!

LifeFeb41-022

Chitchattin’ At The Libby Bros

Libby Bros in Albion, Maine (The Way We Were by Daniel Okrent)
Libby Bros in Albion, Maine (The Way We Were by Daniel Okrent)

Now which do you think is the better picture? The intimate zoom into the men’s conversation? Or the zoomed-out version, full of Esso and more Coca-Cola?

WWW-LibbyBros1