Classic Advertising

Steve,  I have the full set in a drawer somewhere.  I'll try to dig them out and take some pictures.   Something like 18 or so different ones.   Most don't have a car pictured.

Steve_Mack_CTDec 7, 2020

  Any interest in a thread that focuses on advertising Classics?  We have some good ads out there but usually within threads specific to a single marque.

Steve, Absolutely!  I have always liked the Duesenberg ads that don't show a car.  Cocky but makes the point........

I love the advertisements from that era. I also love other photographs and online published pictures of cars in action. One of the neat things about watching videos of Jay Leno‘s garage, or other collectors storage facilities, is the large reproductions of advertising and interesting artwork that are often on the walls behind the cars.  It adds a really interesting dimension to The display and experience of looking at the cars.  I have often wondered, what are the laws regarding that?  Is it permissible to take a page out of a magazine from 1929 that had one of these ads, and have some printing facility enlarge it to 5‘ x 8‘? What do you run into with copyright laws and other issues when trying to do enlargements for display only, not for resale?

Good question John.  Not sure but it seems to have been done.  Certainly a few books have been published featuring early auto advertising. 

Maybe a little late for anyone to ask Santa for this but Einstein's "Ask the Man Who Owns One" Packard advertising book is a nice addition to anyone's library if you like these ads.

Not Classic, but we are framing some nice color Model A Ford ads my wife bought earlier this year.  The cars around interesting backgrounds/activities are always fun.

Steve, Santa is bring me Beverly Rae Kimes book on Packard’s, so I know he has access to classic car books.  I will look up the Einstein ad book, maybe my wife can get that in time for a romantic valentines present. 
I may contact a few printing shops in town and ask them about enlarging a photo or ad for personal display only and see what reservations they might have. 
I have two Honda motorcycles from the 60’s and I’d love to do a large reproduction of their period advertising from that era in their “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” marketing campaign. I think it would look great behind my 1966 Honda Benly and Honda Cub. 

A lot of competition for those who were competing at the top of the market. 

John, the Kimes' Packard book is pretty much the bible.  And you get a nice workout every time you pick it up! 

Cool ads!  The Honda ads really promoted a clean image as I recall, may be a thread on that somewhere in this forum actually.

In the pre WWII era there were several places one can go to to see some great advertisements. Not all of the publications are worth cutting up as some are so scarce you will be fortunate if you can even locate one just to look at. The Custom Body Salons in NY, Chicago, Los Angeles , and San Francisco issued souvenir catalogs of their shows to those who attended. Trouble is that the invitation was sent out and not available for the general public to walk into a salon , pay a buck and go look at the cars. The ads in the souvenir catalogs usually reflected and named with address the local dealer. These two ads are from the 1927 Los Angeles Salon 40 page catalog that was held at the Hotel Biltmore that was held in October of that year. Nearly 30 dealers are listed with their address to further pursue the make of car listed.  This topic deserves several articles to explain so one can appreciate the displays and mind set of that era - an article on each salon and their history of the four locations. The salon catalogs and periodical reports tell the stories but in over 50 years of looking I have not put together a collection of all the salon souvenir catalogs for all the shows - but am about 85% there! Enjoy everyone.

Walt

Walt GDec 20, 2020

In the pre WWII era there were several places one can go to to see some great advertisements. Not all of the publications are worth cutting up as some are so scarce you will be fortunate if you can even locate one just to look at. The Custom Body Salons in NY, Chicago, Los Angeles , and San Francisco issued souvenir catalogs of their shows to those who attended. Trouble is that the invitation was sent out and not available for the general public to walk into a salon , pay a buck and go look at the cars. The ads in the souvenir catalogs usually reflected and named with address the local dealer. These two ads are from the 1927 Los Angeles Salon 40 page catalog that was held at the Hotel Biltmore that was held in October of that year. Nearly 30 dealers are listed with their address to further pursue the make of car listed.  This topic deserves several articles to explain so one can appreciate the displays and mind set of that era - an article on each salon and their history of the four locations. The salon catalogs and periodical reports tell the stories but in over 50 years of looking I have not put together a collection of all the salon souvenir catalogs for all the shows - but am about 85% there! Enjoy everyone.

Walt

Thanks Walt, if you are 85% there, keep going!  I love the artwork/ads that include those shows in the fine hotels of the era. 
 

I find the vintage ads more persuasive than any modern ones. 

Thanks John, I am trying! Ain't easy to locate the programs as stated they were by invitation only so huge amounts of souvenir programs were not printed. Most collectors think that an auto show and auto salon are the same - they are not , at least in pre WWII era. Many reports on these post war slurred the Salon word with auto show and it now suggests to current enthusiasts they are the same. "My car was a salon show car" no it wasn't! You can positively trace a custom built car from salon to salon first in NY then transported (by train - as over the road transportation by truck was not present - there was no inter state highways system, "highways" as we now know them in that era meant it was a mostly paved 2 lane road with one lane each way)   west to the other salons which were a significant number of weeks apart so the cars could actually make the next destination on time and the particular car be put on display. All this needs to go down in a article which I have the resources and references to do but the proper outlet to do so doesn't exist, it would take up to many pages - AACA magazine does not have the room for a 4 page + article on something this specific.

Steve_Mack_CTDec 19, 2020

Cool ads!  The Honda ads really promoted a clean image as I recall, may be a thread on that somewhere in this forum actually.

Steve, I think they did a lot to change the perception of people who saw motorcycles in the light of "Knuckle dragging, Ape Bars, Bobber," recklesness.....

Also, they ran all day long and were engineered well.  I am always impressed every time  I pick one up, it seems like in a couple of hours, it is reborn and running.  

Walt's information about the shows at the most prestigious hotels is interesting.   The backdrop of any photograph or Advertisement plays a huge role in the imagery.  One of the things I like about the ACD Museum is the flooring.  It is fabulous and is perfect in print and photos of those beautiful automobiles.....

Walt that sounds like an article for the Classic Car?  

Steve - Hemmings Classic Car magazine has changed editor and there is no communication from there for me ! (?) The Classic Car Club of America has its Classic Car quarterly magazine and I did a column and detailed articles for 32 years for at least 80% of those issues and was a member for 46 years but left them in 2018 .

Walt, yes I was referring to the CCCA pub. The only other thing I would say is the info within this forum rivals some books in certain areas, like the prewar, big chassis mb thread AJ started a long time ago.  But of course you already contribute a ton here we certainly appreciate and enjoy!

Steve_Mack_CTDec 21, 2020

Walt, yes I was referring to the CCCA pub. The only other thing I would say is the info within this forum rivals some books in certain areas, like the prewar, big chassis mb thread AJ started a long time ago.  But of course you already contribute a ton here we certainly appreciate and enjoy!

Steve,  we need to work on pulling Walt back into the CCCA fold.   His work is gold and Hemmings readers won't appreciate what they are reading.