Sunday’s ad is entitled Showing Off the New Kitchen, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #106 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, they almost look like they could be twin sisters. A woman is showing off her new kitchen to another woman, while their husbands ignore the kitchen, beers in hand, and look as if they’re talking about anything else. It’s weird to see the center island made of brick.

Saturday’s ad is entitled Indoor Barbecue, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Haddon Sundblom. It’s #105 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, maybe it’s raining outside. Because for some reason they decided to grill steaks on the fireplace. I guess if you drink enough beer it makes sense.

Friday’s ad is entitled Chess, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #104 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a couple is enjoying a couple of beers while playing chess. Based on body language, I think the woman has the upper hand in the game. She’s sitting back in her chair, relaxed, and smiling, while playing with her necklace. The man, by contrast, is sitting cloer to the table, head down, staring down at the game with an expressionless face. He’s going down.

Thursday’s ad is entitled After a Day on the Slopes, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #103 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, several young people are in the lodge starting a fire and handing out beers. Through the giant picture window we can see a few stragglers still coming in After a Day on the Slopes, waving to one another. It’s nice to see one of the dudes being the server for a change, but then he’s probably just hoping to get lucky.

Sunday’s ad is entitled Friends From the Country, and the illustration was done in 1954 by John Falter. It’s #99 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, some yokels from the boondocks are visiting their city friends. They brought flowers and home-grown vegetables, but the city-dwellers have beer. City 1, Country 0.

Friday’s ad is entitled Summer Picnic, and the illustration was done in 1954 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #97 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, two couples go on a summer picnic. The women pack the food, and the men bring beer. They take a boat to a secluded spot, where food and beer is consumed, photos taken, and fun day is had by all. Then back to civilization they go at sunset. Looks like a nice day, although overall I don’t like these multi-panel cartoons nearly as much as the single panel ads. There’s something about conveying a story in a single image, leaving more to the imagination and more reliant on subtle clues that appeals to me.