Clik here to view.
The Great American Slip Up
Vintage Illustration 1951 Americans seem to love the opportunity to embarrass themselves…almost as much as we love to watch ‘em. And if there is money involved so much the better. Between the internet...
View ArticleClik here to view.
You’ve Come a Long Way Peggy Olson
Mad Men’s Peggy Olson Big Time Career Girl (R) Vintage DC Comics“This is the big chance I’ve been waiting for! I mustn’t fail this time! Not love or anything else is going to keep me from success!” We...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Then and Now: Mad Men World of 1969
Photo by Michael Varish/AMC As Mad Men finishes its bumpy ride through the tumultuous decade of the 1960s it makes an anything but a soft landing in 1969, splashing down in laid back do your own thing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mexican Mid-Century Style
“Reach for Your Sombrero…and go to your grocers pronto for this gay and colorful treat “Manana just isn’t soon enough. Surprise your family with this corn with the Latin touch tonight.” Vintage Green...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Vintage ad Reynolds Wrap 1954 Mid century mothers and daughters were clearly tied together not only by their apron strings but the same set of cultural expectations. Not only did they share darling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Selling the Nuclear Family
Has the selling of the 1950’s nuclear family finally reached it’s expiration date? In a consumer culture of unlimited choices, Madison Avenue has long sold only one brand of the American family…and it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Most Sexist Ad Ever
When it comes to misogyny in advertising, 1947′s Pitney Bowes Postage Meter ad easily ranks in the top ten. And that’s saying a lot in a culture that was prolific in sexist advertising. In the ad we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Girl and Her Girdle Pt II
“The Story Begins in the Middle” Vintage 1955 ad Warner’s I figured out very early on that every female had a figure flaw. But luckily when it came to figure problems a slew of manufacturers had it all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Back to School Shoes
Back to School. Vintage ad Sears Back to School Clothes 1957 It was the day before Labor Day 1957 and the countdown had begun for the end of summer and the new school term. From Long Island to Little...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Envy and the American Dream
Screen Envy Happy days are here again… the new iPhone is out! An uncharacteristic hush descended on my local Starbucks today as a wave of envy swept through the coffee-house. As if in unison, covetous...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Women Want
Vintage Advertisement Hoover Vacuum Cleaner 1953 Happy days are here again… sexism is not in jeopardy! Once upon a time when patriarchy ruled, the American housewife was perceived as the most envied...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer for Hipsters and Hi Society
A typewriter and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer- the choice of retro secretaries and ironic bearded Brooklyn hipsters. Vintage ad 1945 Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Who would have guessed Pabst Blue Ribbon that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is it an Offense to Offend?
In a time of heightened sensitivity over stereotypes, years of ethnic and racial labeling have fortunately largely been erased from advertising. Vintage White Rock Beverage Ad 1946 Being offended...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Keeping Hubby Happy the Heinz Way
Man Pleasin’ Meals – The Shortest Route to Your Man’s Heart-Heinz Ketchup 1940 ad With Valentines day fast approaching, the media is running rampant with romance tips. Forget everything else you’ve...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Oscar for the Best Vintage Celebrity Endorsement
And the Oscar for the most celebrity endorsements goes to…Chesterfield Cigarettes. Tobacco companies paid Hollywood Oscar contenders of the 1940’s and 50’s millions of dollars in today’s money to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How the Mad Men of Madison Avenue Got Rosie the Riveter to Man Up
Advertisers sang Rosies praise, proudly applauding the “resourcefulness and ingenuity of American Women.” Once upon a time, women workers were not only highly sought after they were lavished with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Mad Men of Madison Avenue Get Real
Like many parents in 1970, the gulf between Mad Men’s rebellious Sally Draper and her uptight and out of touch parents has grown as wide as the Grand Canyon, that great natural chasm that Sally might...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Male Turf
The sexist suburban landscape. With names like Dandy Boy, The Lawn Boy and Lazy Boy, lawn mowing was clearly male turf. Vintage Illustrations (L) Saturday Evening Post Cover 1955 illustration: Dick...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke
The debate about Mad Men’s ending may continue for years, but no one can debate the fact that Coca Cola has succeeded in getting the world to buy a Coke. With the final image of Don Draper meditating...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Metrecal For Lunch Bunch
This once enviably svelte housewife now found herself among the masses of women who realized they needed to whittle their waists. For decades, Memorial Day has long been a solemn occasion. Besides...
View Article