Saturday’s ad is entitled Birthday Party For Dad, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #35 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, an elderly man is, one presumes, surrounded by his family, who have just heaped presents on him and are toasting his birthday. Dad looks down, bemused, at his presents, or perhaps he’s looking over at his beer and has realized that’s what he’d rather have in his hand.

Friday’s ad is entitled Housewarming, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #34 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 young couple are in a new home, and entertaining for the first time there. I can only guess that the party has been under way for some time now and many beers have been consumer, because she looks way too happy to receive a cactus and a geranium from the couple arriving late.

Wednesday’s ad is entitled Showing Off The Flower Garden, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #32 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, one couple is showing off their flower garden to another. One of them looks like he must be John Holl’s dad. The men hold their beers and point. The women left their beers on the table behind them and actually touch the flowers. Also, notice how in the inset below the painting, the vase resembles a hand holding a beer glass, doesn’t it?

Tuesday’s ad is entitled Friends Over For Tennis, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #31 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 group of apparently well-to-do people invited some “friends over for tennis.” I can’t imagine that even in 1949 that many people had their own tennis courts, so I ‘m not sure who this ad was directed at or why they though people might be able to relate to this situation. I suspect it may have been aspirational, since everyone thinks they’ll be wealthy enough to one day, though it’s probably only the 1% now who might, much less in the 1940s when wealth wasn’t nearly as consolidated.

Sunday’s ad is entitled Getting Ready For Summer, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #29 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 family is in the backyard early in spring. The women are in the yard doing actual work, pruning and planting, while the menfolk sit on the porch making sure their toys, put away over the winter, are ready to go for the first fishing trip of the new year. Seems like a fair distribution of labor, right?

Saturday’s ad is entitled Meeting Her Parents, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #28 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 young man is apparently meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. He’s thoughtfully helping her move a table so her mother can set down a tray of beers on it. Once they’re married that will stop, of course, as dear old Dad just sits there while everyone else serves him. There’s only three beer bottles on that tray. I wonder who’s getting stiffed? Also, look closely at the magazine in Dad’s lap. It’s open to a page showing the same ad we’re looking at. How meta.