25th April 2010 / 3 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
Obviously, it was the South Africa ad which caught my eye here, but I thought you’d all enjoy the full page of adverts. I love the evocative nature of the Templeton’s and Flexcello ads, documenting a world long gone, and I found the Venner Autopoint ad interesting, as there’s been many attempts over the years to devise timers for electric devices, none of which have caught on.
Tags: beauty, blatant sexism, dodgy advice, fashion, household, social history
21st April 2010 / 4 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
Wow, so much hilarity in one advert. Firstly, a brand of bog roll called ‘Bronco’, and secondly, the idea that men were scared to talk about toilet tissue. Really? Would it not be more accurate to state that they probably didn’t care that much? I have no idea how pleasant this product was, but from the picture, I wouldn’t mind speculating that ‘Bronco’ referred to the way you walked after using it. It gave me ‘fond’ memories of ‘Izal’…
Tags: blatant sexism, dodgy advice, marriage, retail, social history
13th April 2010 / 5 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
Silly me, it’s ‘Ox Tail’, of course. The reference to the soup being ‘laced with sherry’ may well account for the expressions on the couples’ faces. Also, has anyone drunk soup out of a tin in a cup like that? I thought that was just Cup-A-Soup…
Tags: dodgy advice, food, retail, social history
1st March 2010 / 15 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
This is interesting, as crisp manufacturers have moved away from trying to sell us the product as a cookery aid. Certainly, I don’t see the appeal of them as casserole toppings, or as part of pastry, but if anyone has discovered a new taste sensation this way, let me know!
The more familiar image for modern audiences, of course, is the crisp as something to put in dips, although I think crisps as a base for canapes probably died a quick death. The emphasis for ads in the ’60s seems to have been to introduce crisps to new audiences through different ways of eating them, whilst nowadays, because of the firmly entrenched role they have in the British palate, the emphasis has been on crisp manufacturers seeking to minimise their responsibility by making the product ‘healthier’. It makes the 60s look like a more innocent time…
Tags: cooking, dodgy advice, food, retail, social history
27th February 2010 / 12 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
Great ad: shame that it’s for suet. If you don’t know what suet is, here’s the Wikipedia entry. Blegh. Also, I have NEVER heard of ‘hard sauce’, and was fascinated by the ‘Robin Hood Roll’ being called ‘Quorn Roll’ when Quorn is now a well-known meat substitute.
Tags: Atora, blatant sexism, cooking, food, kids, motherhood, retail, social history
21st February 2010 / 7 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
‘Rich, heavy syrup’ is looked down upon nowadays for health reasons, but it certainly makes the contents look good. NOM.
Tags: food, retail
19th February 2010 / 3 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
Ah, so much to love here. The holidays priced in guineas, the reference to ‘Free Lance’ packages (who’s Lance?) and the crushing realisation that I no longer qualify for ‘the younger set’.
Tags: retail, social history, travel, Wallace Arnold
10th February 2010 / 8 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
Yes, an electronic pencil. Not an electric pencil, like you thought. Electrolysis is still used to remove hair, but it’s generally advised nowadays to consult a trained professional, rather than muck about with electric shock equipment at home. What I want to know is: what do wristbands have to do with the whole thing?
Tags: beauty, dodgy advice, electric, retail
4th February 2010 / 8 Comments
Woman and Home /
1st January 1962
MORE housewives and booze? It’s truly remarkable how many ads there were in the 1960s suggesting some form of alcohol to presumably blot out the frustration and boredom of being a kept woman. Does anyone else have the mental image of housewives across Britain floating on a cloud of inebriation whilst unloading the twin tub, or necking it from the bottle before sitting down with their boring husband for dinner?
Tags: blatant sexism, dodgy advice, retail, social history, tonic