Pale Hands I Loved Beside the Shalimar . . .

In the Golden Age of illustration, even prosaic adverts, usually for women's products, utilized storybook renderings to raise them to poetic beauty. In this case the illustrator was Gwynedd Hudson, far more known for her Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan books.

Gwynedd Hudson — for Crème Shalimar — 1916-20

(The illustration dated 1916, the page from 1920)

Grim Determination

When this ad came out in 1943, it was still a hard fight to the end of the war, but grim determination won out. The same sentiment could be used now for the service men and women still in harm's way — "Let's Get It Over With Quick!"

Nash-Kelvinator ad — December 1943

French Frails

Here's a jaunty little number from the age of flappers. Looks like a couple of French frails flitting about in their flivver. 

l'officiel de la Couture et de la Mode de Paris — November 1927

Your Line is Divine

Ad from an old pulp mag — 1949

Tale of Intrigue

You might wonder what wondrous storybook this Willy Pogany illustration is from...some exotic tale of intrigue?

Well, um, it's from a circa 1920 advertisement for soap.

"Buying Palmolive 3,000 Years Ago"

"The shop came to the shopper in the days of the first Palmolive. No convenient corner store, no fragrant green cake, but flagons of Palm and Olive oil brought from far countries for the toilets of aristocratic women. And while these ancient customs have vanished with the passing of 3,000 years, the world still prizes these two great natural cleansing agents."

I long for a new golden age of illustration!!!

Storybook Dream

Even advertising used to be like a storybook dream . . .

Gustaf Tenggren —Dromedary Dates — 1929

Mermaid Service

An ad for an underwater vacuum.

In the Italian magazine L'Espresso — December, 1980

America's Second Most Challenging Sport

Talk about gratuitous use of female charm to promote a product . . .

. . . I . . . feel . . . compelled . . . to . . . learn . . . archery . . .

magazine ad — ca 1970s

The Motor Pump

Ads showcasing a pretty girl that is totally irrelevant to the product advertised is a tradition that goes back a ways. Nice Art Nouveau.

Tamagno — La Moto-Pompe — ca 1898

High Road to Adventure

Way back in 1982 there was a tv show, Tales of the Gold Monkey, that shared the same high road to adventure that Indiana Jones had just recently taken. The show had actually been conceived a lot earlier than anyone had even heard of Indy, but was a hard sell to the networks because it was 'adventure in the 1930s'. But along came the blockbuster film and THEN the network execs sat up and took notice.

Of course just the words 'adventure in the 1930s' sets my tail to wagging and I remember enjoying the show when it first aired. Stephen Collins as Jake Cutter and a Jack Russell terrier as Jack were fun to watch.

Of course then the choice of having Drew Struzan create the promotional art for the teevee show helped to connect it to the Indiana Jones movie's success. I LOVE Struzan's graphic talents and would love to see him illustrate ANYthing, and he certainly caught the essence of Jake and Jack on their high road to adventure!

Drew Struzan — Tales of the Gold Monkey — 1982

Drew Struzan — Tales of the Gold Monkey — 1982

Lucky Dad

It's a great responsibility and privilege to be a father. I'm such a lucky dad to have such a great kid! Happy Father's Day to all you other lucky dads!

Norman Rockwell — Father's Day — 1935

Oh, How I Lust

Oh, how I lust for the designs of yesteryear . . .

1932 Cabriolet Roadster Hupmobile

Taste from Another World

Surrealism that makes sense, sort of.

Braldt Bralds — Bols advertisement — ca 1985

Really Nice

Here's a case of really nice advertising — with really nice photography, really nice models, and really nice fashion.

Century Club

What red-blooded person WOULDN'T want to be in the Lionel Century Club, especially with art like this to entice you in?

Lionel Century Club

Oh, sign me up!!!

Sensuous Tableaux

A rather sensuous tableaux for a cigarette ad, but it was the roaring twenties after all. And besides— these are theatuh folk!

Lewis Baumer — for Abdulla Cigarettes —1923

Design Zeitgeist

In my opinion, our society made a HUGE mistake in 'progressing' beyond the design of the times of the '20s and '30s.

Oh I'm so glad we made progress in civil rights, and I'm happy with digital technology, but really, the design zeitgeist did not need a lot of improvement . . . in my opinion.

1929 Studebaker Roadster, 5 wire wheels standard

with roomy rumble seat

Radio Fairy

Yes, I'm still on the warm and cozy kick. Who's it hurtin' anyway?

This ad from 1929 touts the magic of radio in the warmth and coziness of a little home with the radio fairy anointing her blessings. I'd like to think there's a computer fairy waving her wand at me every night in the warmth and coziness of my little studio.

Hey E.G., that radio cabinet is a nice piece of vintage furniture! And doesn't it look all warm and cozy?

A Fine Illustrator

George Stavrinos was such a fine illustrator, he could take a hint of a mannequin and a drapery study and make a lovely fashion ad.

George Stavrinos — Bergdorf-Goodman

Refreshing

As indicated in the comments section of the last post, here are some Coca Cola girls that have been identified as the work of Haddon Sundblom, the painter of the iconic Coke Santa scenes.

Refreshing after all these years.