Wednesday’s ad is another one for Budweiser, though this one’s a little older than yesterday’s, most likely from the late 1950s or early 1960s. It’s from Budweiser’s long-running “Where There’s Life” series of ads. The ad features a couple on the beach, and even though its night their faces still look shiny with sweat, or maybe that’s just the glow of the fire that makes them look like that. Either way, hopefully those weenies will be done soon.
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from not too long ago: 1987. And while I don’t normally feature the overtly sexist ads, this one is too classic to ignore. This, and variations on it, were nearly ubiquitous in the late 1980s. I recall seeing them everywhere. I still think it’s a fairly clever ad, even with the titillation. One thing that sticks out now, just 25 years later, is what they’re listenging to and reading. If the ad was done today, they’d be using an iPod and reading on a Kindle or iPad.
Monday’s ad is still one more by Eugene Oge, a French illustrator who did a number of great beer adverts during his lifetime from 1861-1936. He was a major figure in the Belle Epoque and did many outstanding ads for resorts, food, and all sorts of beverages and brands. This is the fifth of his I’ve featured, and it’s for a presumably French beer brand, Grande Brasserie D’Arcueil. On a particularly hot day, the server appears to be licking the beer foam on the side of the glass as he delivers a giant mug of beer.
Our 105th Guinness ad is from the Illustrated London News, from early 1945, during World War II. It shows two navy men painting, or possibly just cleaning, an impossibly huge aircraft carrier. One turns to the other and says. “I feel like a Guinness,” to which the other replies. “I wish you were!”
Friday’s ad is yet another by Eugene Oge, a French illustrator who did a number of great beer adverts during his lifetime from 1861-1936. He was a major figure in the Belle Epoque and did many outstanding ads for resorts, food, and all sorts of beverages and brands. This is the fourth of his I’ve featured, and it’s for a presumably French beer brand, Biere de L’Eclair. Since fizzy yellow beer is sometimes referred to as piss water, I wonder if the horse licking the mug of beer is related to that idea? Nah, probably not, especially with the dog at the man’s feet begging for any beer that might drips down the sides of his mug.
Thursday’s ad is from Switzerland, specifically Zurich, and is for possibly a restaurant or beer hall. Because Bayrische Bierhalle Kropf, in German, is Bavarian Beer Hall Kropf. It’s by Herman Rudolf Seifert, though I can’t find any substantive information about him. Featuring prominently in the ad is the hammers logo with the date 1417, which is used on the Hacker-Pschorr logo so perhaps it is a beer hall that serves their beer.
Wednesday’s ad is also for an Italian beer, though it’s by renowned German illustrator Adolfo Hohenstein, who made a name for himself painting in Italy, where he helped to found Italian Art Nouveau. Hohenstein is also considered the “father of Italian poster art,” and this poster was completed in 1906, the year he left Milan and returned home to Germany. I think it’s one of the most beautiful of the time period.
Tuesday’s ad is a 1920s ad for an Italian beer that’s still in business — Pedavena. Similar to yesterday’s French ad, this one also features a king carrying a beer. Is it Gambrinus? Who knows.
Monday’s ad is the third ad we’ve featured by famed illustrator Jean D’Ylen. Biere de Charmes was done in 1924 for the French brewery located in the Lorraine that was founded in 1864. The king — Gambrinus perhaps? — sitting atop a pyramid of wooden kegs with two full mugs of beer, one in each hand, seems poised to fall, or at least spill his beer.
Here’s a fun one for the DIY crowd, from the June 1938 issue of Popular Science.
The two-page instructions explained to readers how to build their very own Beer-Keg Radio. It was for your, you know, “game room.” Who doesn’t have one of those?
It seems DIY was a lot less spoon-fed with detailed instructions back in the 1930s. There were only vague directions, giving a lot of flexibility to the project. Here’s the parts list you’ll need to build the radio:
And here’s the schematic you’re meant to follow and duplicate:
The introduction is priceless, here’s how they start out:
Curiously, they actually tell readers to get a wine barrel and that they can later turn it into a beer keg. By 1938 were wooden beer barrels already that scarce? I honestly don’t know, obviously, but that seems like strange advice.
Here’s what it would look like, before closing the top of the keg.
After closing, the radio works with two knobs on top.
After it’s done, “‘you’ll get a barrel of fun’ from this novel radio.”
If you want to see the pages full size and build one yourself, here’s Page 1 and Page 2.