Monday’s holiday ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon from 1951 and feature some pretty ugly dolls singing Pabst’s slogan of the day, “What’ll You Have.” The Christmas tree has a “Charlie Brown” look to it, as well.
Guinness Ad #47: Christmas — That’s Guinness Time
Our 47th Guinness poster wasn’t strictly done by John Gilroy, but it does feature his smiling, anthropomorphized glasses looking up at a clock somehow meant to signify Christmas time. The only text is “Christmas — That’s Guinness Time.”
Beer In Ads #267: Schlitz, Move Up To Quality
Friday’s holiday ad is a pair of Schlitz winter ads from 1958. They’re almost identical, except that one show a feminine hand while the other a masculine one. The backgrounds re also slightly different, though both show a snowy winter wonderland.
The Female Version:
The Male Version:
Beer In Ads #266: Seasons Greetings From Miss Rheingold 1958
Thursday’s holiday ad is for Miss Rheingold of 1958, Madelyn Darrow, who’s getting out of a horse-drawn carriage laden-down with some beautifully Christmas presents. Mine never look that good, though I’m usually too lazy to even include a bow. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the thought that counts, not the wrapping.
Beer In Ads #265: It’s Always Winter In Your Refrigerator
Wednesday’s holiday ad is also for Ballantine, this one from 1953. It shows an invisible refrigerator outdoors during winter, with the idea that the reader will equate Ballantine beer with the “Flavor that chill can’t kill,” whatever that means.
Beer In Ads #264: Ballantine’s Early American Custom
Tuesday’s holiday ad is for Ballantine, from 1940. Part of a series of dioramas Ballantine used in their ads at that time, the holiday one uses a triple wreath on the door with the pilgrim kissing his gal on the cheek.
Beer In Ads #263: Christmas Bud Break
Monday’s holiday ad is for Budweiser, from 1949. A couple takes a break from putting up the Christmas tree for a sandwich and a Budweiser. Frankly, it doesn’t look they’ve done enough work yet to warrant a break but perhaps it’s not so much a break as their way of drinking the whole time they put up their decorations.
Beer In Art #106: Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s The Wassail
This week’s work of art is the holiday-themed “The Wassail,” by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Scottish watercolourist and architect, designer and sculptor. He was best known as “a designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and also the main exponent of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom” and he had “considerable influence on European design.” Born in 1868, The Wassail was painted in 1900.
The original painting is in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Below is a detail of the center panel or section of the painting.
Wassailing is, of course, a traditional English and European custom that took place around the holidays, sometime around Christmas and in other traditions into mid-January. To read more about it, there are interesting accounts at the Hymns and Carols of Christmas, About.com, Time Travel Britain and White Dragon.
There’s also the drink Wassail, which I wrote about a couple of years ago after the release of Full Sail’s Wassail at Here We Go a-WASSAIL-ing
To learn more about Mackintosh, Wikipedia is a good place to start or the biography at his “official” website, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. There’s also a small Wikigallery with two dozen works and a good list of links at ArtCyclopedia.
Guinness Ad #46: Christmas Stocking
Our 46th Guinness poster by John Gilroy features our intrepid zookeeper waking up Christmas morning to find a bottle of Guinness in his stocking, hung on his bedpost. The slogan is again “My Goodness, My Christmas Guinness.” Hoppy Christmas.
Beer In Ads #262: Pilsner Urquell For The Holidays
Friday’s holiday ads are for Pilsner Urquell, in honor of it being National Lager Day. And one of the best is without a doubt is the original pilsner, Pilsner Urquell. I don’t believe the ads are more than a few years old, but I love the faux stained glass look of them. Who wouldn’t love those in their beer room, with the light streaming through into your own private church of beer?
The first two words mean “Inspiring taste” in Czech, but I don’t know what the third word means. Anybody know?
I think the iconic bottle ad is my favorite, but they’re all pretty cool.
