Friday’s ad is for Schlitz, playing on one of their earlier ads. An architect or draftsman stares longingly at the older ad on his wall, instead of working on the blueprints on the desk in front of him. The original ad was their iconic slogan “Just the kiss of hops” so for this ad it’s “Memories of a kiss.”
Thursday’s ad is for Miller High Life, showing a time capsule of a scene on what appears to be a farm. But one of those genteel farms of yesteryear. There’s a horse stable in the background, and in the field there’s a groups of dogs and three people who look ready for an English-style fox hunt. The foreground shows a butler serving a couple some Miller High Life on a tray, though the bottles on the table are still over half full. And I thought dalmatians were not good at hunting (too high strung), but then maybe that’s why the woman is holding the dog.
Wednesday’s ad is a 1948 ad for Budweiser featuring our third President, Thomas Jefferson, whose birthday is also today. He was born April 13, 1743. According to the Bud ad, he also introduced spaghetti to America. Let’s say I’m skeptical. Here’s the text:
From Naples he got a mould to form spaghetti and introduced what is one of our most important and popular foods. He did the marketing for the White House and presided genially over its inviting table. Jefferson earnestly believed that good food and drink temperately enjoyed each day with good friends were essential to a worthwhile lifetime.
I love the slogan at the bottom of the ad:
Live life, every golden minute of it.
Enjoy Budweiser, every golden drop of it.
The illustration is also priceless, showing a smiling redheaded Jefferson spinning spaghetti on a spoon, showing his two guests, in full wigs, how it’s done. And I thought it was Chef Boyardee.
Interestingly, my initial skepticism turned out to be right. According to a great article by Corby Kummer on the origins of Pasta in The Atlantic:
Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing dried pasta without egg to America, but, like the Marco Polo legend, this is a romantic fiction. He did take notes on the manufacturing process during a trip to Naples and even commissioned a friend in Italy to buy him a “maccarony machine.” He shipped himself two cases of pasta in 1789. By 1798 a Frenchman had opened what may have been the first American pasta factory, in Philadelphia, and it was a success. Upper-class Americans also bought pasta imported from Sicily, which had snob appeal.
Tuesday’s ad is for Ballantine Ale from 1949 and take an unusual approach. The ad highlights three hotels and restaurants carrying Ballantine Ale, and especially their servers. These include the Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, the Ambassador’s Pump Room in Chicago, Illinois and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California.
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz from 1952 featuring the once popular hobby of Ham Radio operating. With, presumably, the missus thoughtfully bringing in a tray of Schlitz and a pilsner glass. Apparently, that’s the message from Milwaukee, not whatever’s coming over the airwaves.
This week’s works of art are by Johann Georg Hinz, a German painter from Hamburg. His last name was also sometime spelled Hintz, Hainz or Heintz. He was born in 1630, in Altona, but spent most of his life painting in Hamburg, where he’s best known for his still life paintings. Many of them had beer in the painting — it was Germany after all — like the first one below: Still Life with Beer Glass.
And the second is simply Still Life.
And here’s a third, also titled simply Still Life.
There’s no dates for any of them, though Hinz is believed to have spent some time in Amsterdam and came to Hamburg in the 1660s. I was in Amsterdam he picked up the idea for still life painting and was the first to paint them in Hamburg, and possibly in Germany, too. You can see a few more of paintings at WikiGallery.
Our 63rd Guinness ad shows our intrepid toucan as a miner, working away down below. But instead of finding gold nuggets, he instead finds black gold, not Texas tea, but Guinness. It’s one of the usual slogans again, “My Goodness, My Guinness.”
Friday’s ad is for Schlitz from 1949 showing a close-up of a can and a bottle, with a full beer glass in what appears to be a library setting. You can just make out on one of the leather-bound books that the first word in the title is “beer.” Though there is one discrepancy. Notice that the bottle isn’t even half empty but the beer glass is full. There’s no way that portion of the bottle could fill a beer glass that looks to be at least 12 oz., if not a full pint. Hmm.
Thursday’s ad is for Miller High Life from 1957 showing a delicious-looking meal of steak with a number of side dishes, like roasted tomatoes, peas in mushroom caps(?) and onion rings. And how about that big pat of butter on top? I’m hungry now. The tagline is great, too. “For the taste of your life ‘Go First Class’ with Miller High Life.”
Wednesday’s ad is a World War 2-era one for Pabst Blue Ribbon which despite depicting two couples, uses the curious slogan “Good Beer For Good Fellows.” Sure, women are explicitly mentioned in the copy, but the slogan and art just don’t seem to jibe, though it is a cool painting.
