Monday’s ad for is Rheingold beer from 1949, featuring Miss Rheingold for that year, Pat McElroy. With a broad smile on her face she’s threatening us with a snowball, and with at least one in reserve by her left hand. I’m not sure if her little dog, too, is part of her strategy, but I’m not picking a fight with Pat.
Our 49th Guinness poster by John Gilroy depicts a clock with a face at 12:50, or “10 to 1,” as in the tagline “Ten to one It’s Guinness Time.” It was vaguely 11 and it’s now 2011. I can’t help it, that’s just the way my addled mind work.
And here’s another version as a tin sign.
Saturday’s holiday ad for New Year’s is a Schaefer ad from 1941, from their 100th anniversary. The black and white ad is fairly classy with a simple glass in hand raising a toast “To the New Year and Our 100th Anniversary.” Hoppy New Year everybody.
Friday’s holiday ad for New Year’s Eve is a Miller High Life ad from 1948 features their iconic “Girl in the Moon” sitting on a crescent moon toasting the world with a beer. It seems a fitting way to finish 2010 and welcome the promise of a new year. Hoppy New Year everybody.
Thursday’s holiday ad is something of a mystery. It’s not for a particular brand, at least as far as I can tell. It looks like it’s probably from the 19th century, or possibly the very early part of the twentieth. While not overtly “Christmasy,” is does seem to be about the holiday season, with the green and red colors and the wreath. But that’s all speculation, I’m not even sure exactly what it is, though a postcard or card seems likely. Might the fact that the circle of the wreath is blank suggest it was a sample? Whatever its purpose, it’s a cool piece of breweriana.
Wednesday’s winter ad features Miss Rheingold for 1955, Nancy Woodruff, putting the final touch — a top hat — on a snowman holding a bottle and a can Rheingold beer. The slogan, “Now these two twins are dressed alike!,” presumably must refer to a change in their can packaging, which I suspect didn’t mirror the bottle label quite so much before then. But I must confess I think Woodruff has a great smile.
Tuesday’s holiday ad is for Molson from 1985. I chose a Molson ad because today would have been founder John Molson’s 247th birthday. The playful ad shows two horse-drawn sleighs, one of which, driven by a man, is hauling cases of beer and the other, presumably driven by a woman, remarking that “You can land on my roof anytime.”
Monday’s holiday ad is for Budweiser from 1950 and features a Santa-like chef with a bounteous feast of meats and seafood, along with fruits and cheese. The slogan for that ad is “Something more than beer … A tradition in hospitality.” It originally ran in Life magazine’s Christmas issue for 1950.
The Santa-like chef image had been used before, in this 1947 ad about “Help Yourself to Good Taste.”
Our 48th Guinness poster by John Gilroy features Santa Claus decorating the Christmas tree with Guinness bottles, with a little help from all of his zoo animals. Now that’s “Guinness Time” … er Christmas Time.
Saturday’s holiday ad is for Miller High Life from 1949 and features their “Girl in the Moon” wishing everyone “Seasons Greetings.” I normally don’t keep the “Beer in Ads” series running through the weekend, but there’s just too many great Christmas beer ads not to. And mores specifically, “A Holiday toast to you from the National Champion of Quality … Miller High Life.”
And here’s a close-up of the artwork.
