It's hard to believe but there was a time when the full implication of the health risks of smoking were not known (or were ignored). Adverts would often portray an image of manliness & masculinity and appeal to the opposite sex. None of that changes the merits of the design and appeal of these poster ads. I love poster art and here it is in it's best manifestation.
I'm listening to Kiki Dee's beautiful song Loving and Free. You can listen to it here.
11 comments:
Hi Bazza - those are fun to see ... and typical of their eras. Douwe Egberts & tobacco ... interesting trade names. Thanks for showing us - cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary. I was really surprised to learn that Douwe Egberts had a distant origin. Apparently it was a Dutch grocery business founded in 1753!
Hello Bazza, Thank you for these wonderful examples of tobacco posters. It's funny, but a lot of the worst "vice" products (tobacco, alcohol, opium, etc.) produced the best advertising, accoutrements, and memorabilia.
--Jim
I too love poster art because it has to
be perfectly crafted to catch the viewer's eye and turn on the viewer's brain. Minimum writing, maximum colour and perfect lines.
Note this comes from someone who hates the smell of cigarettes.
Jim: That true, there's a disconnect between the medium and the product!
Hels: Oh yeah, poster art is my guilty pleasure...
I too, dislike the smell and sight of cigarettes and smokers. At least one can now visit restaurants, bars & pubs in a smoke-free atmosphere!
These posters are really interesting. They are so colorful too. I also like antique chocolate posters and bicycle posters. Here people collect them and they can reach high prices. The only valuable posters I own are those I bought in San Francisco in the 1960s of bands playing at the Fillmore Auditorium, like the Grateful Dead, or the Avalon Ballroom. Like Jimi Hendrix.
Vagabonde: I like most old posters! London Transport have published many books of lovely Underground & Bus poster ads.
... yes, thankfully times and views about smoking have changed (although it does concern me to see people vaping!)
I see you are listening to Kiki Dee, I enjoyed the duet she did with Elton John 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'
Wishing you a happy month of May.
All the best Jan
Jan: Thank you; I share your concerns about vaping. No one knows the long term effects...yet!
I can remember old movies where doctors and nurses stopped for a smoke break. The trend towards vaping today is getting to be as serious as tobacco smoking. We are slow to learn.
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