beauty

Thirteen Vintage Advertisements

All of these ads were taken from a June, 1956 issue of Woman’s Day. (As always, click the images to see larger scans.)

We’ll begin our look — as many people start their day — with muffins. No ordinary muffins, but rather pampered muffins who get their way despite their informal, nearly uneducated speech. “Us muffins love nuffin’ but Allsweet …so will you!”

This ad for Woodbury shampoo boasts, “A famous laboratory proves: Hair washed with new Woodbury Shampoo holds curl better, keeps set longer,” and claims this special “curl-keeping” ingredient also means your hair “can’t dry out”. I suspect this special ingredient is wax.

I do believe James Lees & Sons Company was slightly mad in the 50’s and this isn’t the first ad of theirs I’ve seen. This one has you thinking ‘magic carpet ride’ as her legs are hanging over the edge as the couple feasts, but instead, they go for “How to have your cake — and — those heavenly carpets by Lees.” (Where’s the “too”?) Then they say that the heavenly floating carpet is “just 3 dimes a day” — but neglects to say for how long… But overall this ad wins for it’s sweet illustration style.

The amazing thing about this ad for Breeze detergent is the promise of the free, full size Cannon kitchen towel. A twenty-five cent towel is mind-blowing (that’s nearly one day’s carpet payment!) but it reminds me of all those similar TV commercials for floral towels that I saw as a kid — during As The World Turns, no less!

This next ad I found a little strange for it’s placement in Woman’s Day. With a presumably female readership, it seems odd to find an advertisement pushing meat thermometers for bridal shower gifts as “A gift to please the groom”. Then I read more closely and it all makes sense: “This Taylor Dial Roast Meat Thermometer tells even the newest homemaker when any roast is done the way HE likes it.”

You can’t pick up a magazine from the 50’s and not find cigarette ads, like this one on the back cover which has Phil Silvers (as Sgt. Bilko) inviting you to, “Have a Camel — It’s a pleasure!”

Dennis The Menace wasn’t new in 1956 (he debuted in 1951), but Woman’s Day was sure excited that he would be appearing in the July issue. There were several ads for Dennis in this issue, but this was the largest. Most boasted “My son Dennis the Menace” as opposed to just “Dennis the Menace” — or stating who was making the claim. Anyway, it’s cool to see the mag so excited.

This old Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum ad disguised itself as magazine content by offering both a recipe for punch and another for Tasty Meltaway Cookies. Given a choice between Mom’s homemade cookies and gum I’d go for the cookies, but the ad isn’t for me — it’s for Mom who can refresh her hot-in-the-kitchen-baking self with the lively flavor of Wrigley’s. (Go ahead, Mom; take a pack and make me some cookies!)

There are few color pages in this vintage magazine — fewer yet, slick or glossy pages — but the Glass Container Manufacturers Institute was willing to go on an advertising spree to promote glass bottles. It seemed weird enough to see glass bottles pushed like plastic is today, but the corny “This is what makes the party, soft drinks bottled in glass!” was over-the-top adorable. Mom, grab a stick of gum, make me some cookies, and bring on the bottled soft drings ’cause we’re gonna paaarrrty!

Quick Elastic… A laundry starch? Sure, ‘elastic’ sounds more comfortable; but starch is supposed to be stiff — stiff enough to be “dirt-resisting”. Now doesn’t that sound grand? :shudder:

Soft-Weve, by Scott, fancied itself a real luxury. Not only was it showing off their lovely color palette as a fashion accessory (shown here in another color — go see it, it’s a hoot!), but it never once called itself a toilet tissue. Instead it repeats its mantra that Soft-Weve is of the finest “facial tissue” quality.

Here the lovely Metropolitan Opera singer Risë Stevens, who pimped lots of products, shows us how she uses Murine eye drops for tired eyes… Hmm, she drops little drops of the product in her eyes… Interesting…

Enjoy Jane Parker Bread — or the A&P will disembody you, just like they did this little girl!

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Lady head vases first appeared just before World War II, but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that they reached their peak in popularity with many florists using the primarily porcelain or ceramic vases to promote flower sales. By the end of the 1960’s nearly every home had these little beauties.

Collector books estimate that while more than 10,000 lady head vase designs were created, due to their market saturation and their fragile nature not nearly enough have survived — making these original lady head vases highly collectible. Some vases, like the most prized celebrity or character likenesses, can bring in over $1,000.

Most lady head vase collectors will tell you they are drawn to these pretty ladies because they appreciate the feminine qualities of poise, fashion and beauty which these vases depicted. But fans of femininity need not hold their breath for such rare elusive ladies — they can begin collecting these timeless treasures right now, with the new lady head vases.

One such hot collectible is the Cameo Girls™ Lady Head Vase series.

Inspired by the legacy of the original head vases the The Cameo Girls® Lady Vases Collection from United Design™ are individually created and accessorized to have the same charm and appeal as the vintage head vases.

Like Gene Dolls, each head vase is based on a specific lady — and each has her own story. Collectors follow six feminine and fascinating women as they might have appeared over two centuries of American fashion, beginning in 1809.

Each lady is created from an original sculpture made by their talented design staff which is hand cast in bonded porcelain, then meticulously hand painted. These pretty ladies differ from their vintage counterparts in several ways:

* They are not at all like the fragile old porcelain heads, as bonded porcelain is like resin making these lady heads very heavy and solid.

* On each head of a Cameo Girls® vase there is a very narrow “hole” with a removeable glass tube in it. This design is used so as not to damage the piece by holding water for fresh flowers.

* Each of these lady head vases is designed to be collectible. They are created in limited numbers &/or have a retired date. Several of the Cameo Girls® are numbered and come with a certificates to ensure their status as collectibles.

So, for the past six years that Cameo Girls® have been made, they’ve enjoyed quite a run. However, there have been some changes at the company which have thrown retailers and collectors into a spin.

Originally, the ladies were designed by Debby Kaspari. But Kaspari is no longer designing Cameo Girls®. Kaspari’s last designs were released in January and June 2006 (and all her designs are now retired).

Those who have seen the more recent designs are less than thrilled, which has apparently lead Encore (who now owns United Designs and the Cameo line) to say that the designs for the January 2007 releases are being re-worked and re-sculpted. This will mean a delay before retailers and then collectors themselves will be able to see the new designs. As they say, “Stay Tuned”.

If the resin-type of lady head vases do not appeal to you, or you are waiting to see what Encore will do with the new releases, there are other modern head vase creations to consider.

There are the reproductions in ceramic, which may not seem to have much value at the moment, but are cute and practical (and if they are not valued much now, they may a huge value later — like the original head vases, little of them left may make them hot years later!)

And there are other modern lady head vases — some much more modernized than others:

Let’s Face It Girls! vases

Bella Casa by Ellen Williams

Tropical Ladies of terra cotta

Party Girls to get crafty with