All-American Ads of the 40s

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Travel Back To The Golden Age Of Mid-Century Advertising In America

Discover America through this incredible collection of print ads from the 1940s. 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. 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.

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 that 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.

Author Biography: 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

States. 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.

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