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Ads of the 50s |  |
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Ads of the 50s | |
Discover America through this incredible collection of ads from the 1940s and 50s. Packaged foods, cars, travel, technology, liquor, cigarettes, movies, appliances, furniture, toothpaste; products and services the American consumer needed, even if they sometimes didn’t know it until Madison Avenue told them. Viewed together in the first two volumes of a projected series that will cover the entire 20th century, these ads portray the spirited capitalism that dominated America in the 40s and post-war 50s. It almost seemed one’s patriotic duty to consume, and consume we did, with unprecedented dedication.
Many of these ads would not fly by today's standards of political correctness. Idealizing the squeaky-clean persona of the all-American, nuclear WASP family, these ads portray the sexist and racist status quo that was also an element of mid-century American culture. Also featured are cigarette ads with medical spokesmen, and travel ads touting nearby atomic bomb testing as an added draw for the Las Vegas tourist.
All American Ads of the 40s
World War II was the dominating presence in the first half of the 1940s, no less in advertising than in any other part of American culture. Overnight, car manufacturers retooled to produce tanks and jeeps. Women streamed into factories when their husbands and sweethearts left the assembly line for the battlefield, and the public was exhorted to do their part by obeying blackout restrictions and investing in war bonds. Thrift and rationing were made palatable, even downright rousing, by the most inspiring advertising ever produced. Bold and graphic, this was the work of an industry that fueled - and was fueled by - American patriotism.
For example, to convey the necessity of gas rationing to protect the supply at the front, the Ethyl Corporation shows fires burning on the globe wherever the war was “hot,” the Pennsylvania Railroad shows soldiers being transported in a train with drawn blackout shades, and the War Department ran the chilling image of a sinking battleship accompanied by the now-classic “Loose Lips Sink Ships.”
Not all 1940s advertising was war-related, but if a company could find a way to capitalize on this collective American experience, the opportunity was taken. The iconic character of Rosie the Riveter makes an appearance for Monsanto Chemicals on behalf of coolant – during the war to keep her rivets at the optimum temperature, and for her benefit after the war, when she returned to the kitchen; and Baby Ruth candy claimed that “Food is Fuel for Victory.” On the other hand, imagery which we now find offensive was considered harmless and humorous. Just look for the couple racing off to purchase an Electrolux refrigerator because their black maid, driven mad by the noisy old model, declares “I’se quittin’!”
Starting in 1947, television began to dominate home entertainment, and Madison Avenue leapt to harness the infinite potential of this powerful new medium. After the war, America rushed to make up for lost time, and ads at the end of the decade joyously pitched the big cars, gleaming appliances, and luxurious vacations that people once again could dream about.
All American Ads of the 50s
World War II may have ended with the chilling dawn of the Atomic Age, but the Cold War took its place. If war dominated the 40s, the space age now ruled and “newer, faster, and better” became the watchwords of the new era. In an ad for Lincolns, Ford Motors asked “Why be tied down to yesterday?” as autos became the most visible symbol of personal wealth and accomplishment. Cars in the 50s grew, sprouting huge chrome-trimmed fins, and starting a trend of automotive one-upsmanship that, though more subtle today, has never abated. In response to the terrifying specter of nuclear annihilation, America also got a little silly, and fads were perpetuated by advertising – the cult of pink: phones, lipsticks, toilet paper, appliances, and poodles; Tiki-themed everything; hula hoops, coonskin hats and six shooters; and of course, a television was a must in every home. Through its bland, glass face America was transfixed by an impossibly idealized version of itself, and advertisers wer! e quick to capitalize on this captive, and captivated audience.
作者简介 Jim Heimann, a native of Los Angeles is a graphic designer, illustrator, educator and author. Mr. Heimann has written California Crazy: Roadside Vernacular Architecture, Hooray For Hollywood, Out With The Stars, Close Cover Before Striking, Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of the American Drive-In Restaurant, May I Serve You?; American Menu Design, 1920-1960, Sins of the City: The Real Los Angeles Noir, California Crazy and Beyond, and writes on popular culture, regional history and architecture for publications including the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. Mr. Heimann has been a faculty member of Art Center School of Design, Pasadena since 1987, and is a frequent speaker at the University of Southern California, UCLA, the California Chapter of the AIA, the Kansas City Art Director’s Club, the AIGA, the Armand Hammer Museum, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and numerous other organizations throughout the United State! s. He is currently working on additional volumes of All-American Ads for TASCHEN.
W.R. Wilkerson, III, author of the intro to All-American Ads of the 40s, is the son of Billy Wilkerson who was the founder of the Hollywood Reporter and owner in the 30s and 40s of famous Hollywood hotspots like Ciro’s and the Trocadero. A true child of Hollywood, Mr. Wilkerson currently lives and writes in Las Vegas.
编辑推荐 Amazon.com Review
Second in a series of books featuring advertising by era, All-American Ads of the 50s offers page after page of products that made up the happy-days decade. The start of the cold war spurred a buying frenzy and a craze for new technology that required ad campaigns to match. The nuclear age left its mark all over the advertisements, with a spotlight on planes, rockets, and even mushroom clouds. Shiny, big, beautiful cars abound, styled to keep up with the space age. Editor Jim Heimann, in his essay "From Poodles to Presley, Americans Enter the Atomic Age," explains: "Car designers came up with exaggerated tail fins for automobiles to express this new accelerated speed." Modernist home interiors look slick and shiny with their molded plastic furniture and linoleum floors. While clothing and furniture styles look strangely contemporary--a testament to our current obsession with vintage--some things have definitely changed. A baby sells Marlboro cigarettes! Also included are chapters on movies, food, and travel. --J.P. Cohen
Review
Leafing through the pair is like walking through a massive design exhibition on the mores of those two decades. -- Los Angeles Times, 3/7/02
These bundles of history are more fun than smoking Chesterfields while driving a De Soto. -- Creativity, March 2002
They provide a record of American everyday life of a bygone era in a way that nothing else can. -- Associated Press, March 2002
Who would ever have imagined that ads could say so much about our recent past? -- Los Angeles Times, 3/7/02
