Few people could look at this scarce old ad and not recognize “Nipper,” the iconic RCA dog. Francis Barraud, a struggling painter, adopted the dog after his brother Mark’s death, and painted him cocking his head inquisitively at the horn of a phonograph. The painting “His Master’s Voice” went on to be used by Eldridge Johnson for his Victor Talking Machine Company. And the rest, as they say, is history!
“Forget chocolate chip cookies. Just leave me a pack of Luckies!”
First it was Hostess Cakes, and now it’s another American icon, Kodak. The struggling company, which has been around for over 100 years, has also filed for bankruptcy.
I used to work at Grand Central Station and will always remember seeing the huge Kodak “Colorama” on display. The Colorama, promoted as the world’s largest photograph, was a backlighted transparency measuring 18 feet high and 60 feet across. The picture changed every 3 weeks, and it was always fun to see the new colorful photo on display.
Here’s a look back at some Kodak print advertising throughout the years.
We love this early 1903 ad for the “Kodak Developing Machine:”
Who doesn’t remember the Kodak Brownie? Here’s a 1924 ad for the Brownie Gift Box (“The Whole Shootin’ Match All in One Box.”):
Not quite as well know as the Brownie, were the “Vanity” kodaks in 5 colors. Here’s a 1928 ad showing the set:
In 1930, to commemorate their 50th Anniversary, Kodak put aside 500,000 cameras, and offered them free to children born in 1918:
In 1942, Kodak unveiled this two page ad boasting of all the medals Kodak scientists had won.
And finally, who doesn’t remember the little “Fotomat” booths where you could drop your film off in the parking lot. Here’s a 1971 ad complete with 50¢ off coupons:
We hope Kodak can make it through their struggles. We’d love to be able to show 50 more years of Kodak ads!
ATTENTION TWINKIE LOVERS!! . . . the next Twinkie you eat might be your last! In case you haven’t heard, Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy this week. That means all your favorite treats (Twinkies, Sno Balls, Ho Hos, and Ding Dongs, to name a few) may soon be a thing of the past. Here are some Hostess Treats that already cease to exist. Do you remember any of them?
Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes, 1928 Vintage Ad:
Hostess Zesty Lemon Loaf, 1929 Vintage Ad:
Hostess Devil’s Food Bar, 1929 Vintage Ad:
The snow is finally melting, the birds are singing, and we’re looking forward to Springtime! No more shoveling, no more hauling wood, and no need for six layers of clothing to step outside.
We can finally get back to business. So here we present another one of our most popular vintage ads. The latest and greatest as clicked on by you, our faithful customers.
This time we have a 1945 ad for Dixie Cups featuring a WWII Canteen Hostess. In addition to a regular Dixie Cup, she also holds our favorite . . . the Ice Cream Dixie.
Just a little bit of history on this chilly treat:
Manufactured by The Individual Drinking Cup Company, the Dixie was initially called the Health Kup. The flu epidemic after WWI led more companies to enter the cup-making business, so to set it apart from it’s competitors, the name was changed. In 1919, the Health Kup became the Dixie Cup, named after a line of dolls made by Alfred Schindler’s Dixie Doll Company in New York.
Why would they name a paper cup after some dolls? I couldn’t tell you.
After 1923, an idea came about to merchandise an individual serving of ice cream in a Dixie Cup. The company’s first contracts were with Weed’s Ice Cream Company of Allentown and Carry Ice Cream Company of Washington, D.C. A 5 oz. cup would sell for ten cents. The first experiments were a disaster, but the company soon developed a smaller, more rigid 2 1/2 oz. cup that would not absorb moisture or crumble in the filling process, that would sell for five cents. After that, Mojonnier Brothers, authorities on the engineering of filling devices, created an automatic machine to fill a paper cup with two flavors of ice cream at one time. Ice Cream Dixies earned almost instantaneous consumer acceptance.
So there you have it. The Ice Cream Dixie!
We’ve just started listing some illustrated articles from the 1896 Jubilee Number of “The Dry Goods Economist,” a trade journal that began publishing in the 1850′s. With historical information on the textile industry in America and beyond.
One of our favorites is The History of the Corset, an antique 8 page illustrated article that includes two full page vintage/antique corset ads.
This week we’d like to spotlight one of our most popular vintage ads. Who would have thought that you folks would be yearning to see an elephant wearing pants. But according to our stats, many of you do. So without further ado, we would like to present our 1963 vintage ad for Sanforized Plus featuring—believe it or not—a photo of an elephant wearing pants! Isn’t he great??
The Horrors of Goitre, vintage ad from 1902. Creepy factor? The look on these poor people’s face says it all!
Halloween is almost here! Here are three of our favorite vintage Halloween themed ads. Have a spook-tacular holiday!
You can find these vintage Halloween themed ads in our store.
