Tag Archives: brands

“Brown shoes don’t make it.” — Frank Zappa

1948 magazine ad for Lady Nettleton shoes
1948 magazine ad for Lady Nettleton shoes

I’m sorry, but Lady Nettleton can’t come to the phone right now. She’s having tea with Mrs. Nesbit.

I’ve heard of gila monsters, and Gilly, and ghillie suits, but I never knew that a ghillie was also a type of shoe. Who knew!?

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…prevents CHOLERA and all manner of Epidemic Diseases…

No hope!
No hope!
Behold! The hydroxychloroquine of the mid-1800s.
Behold! The hydroxychloroquine of the mid-1800s.

Did you know the original snake oil was actually good for something?

“Colorful names and even more colorful claims.”

Learn some signs of medical quackery.

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Don’t forget the ripcord!

"O-O-O-O-H-H" — Marie McMillin
“O-O-O-O-H-H” — Marie McMillin
1939 magazine ad for Camel cigarettes
1939 magazine ad for Camel cigarettes

Bone Shards:

Looks like Marie McMillin was a real person and so is the story. (The actual dialogue might’ve been altered somewhat for marketing purposes.)

Here she is fo’ reals.

And the Internet being the Internet, somebody asked if it’s possible to smoke a cigarette while skydiving.

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When her pants are white, she’s in a plight.

Magazine ad for Pursettes tampons found in the December 1975 issue of Co-Ed.
Magazine ad for Pursettes tampons found in the December 1975 issue of Co-Ed.

[Pursesnatcher going through stolen bag…] “Hey! Cigars!”

It looks like the uncredited artist was Mort Drucker of MAD Magazine fame. Rest in peace, Mort. Also, rest in peace, MAD Magazine.

Pursette’s company, Campana, had one heck of a factory building in Batavia.

“How do you sell what you can’t talk about?”

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You might feel a little prick.

1948 magazine ad for Elizabeth Arden
1948 magazine ad for Elizabeth Arden

Sometimes a cactus is just a cactus.

Elizabeth Arden was born Florence Nightingale Graham.

The history of lipstick? Well, if you insist.

Did you know drinking cactus water might not be such a good idea?

A $1.25 lipstick in 1948 would cost $13.72 today.

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It’s nice, but is ain’t no Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

1974 magazine ad for the Jeep Wagoneer
1974 magazine ad for the Jeep Wagoneer
I'm pretty sure this is a ghost and the driver is about to have a most horrible death.
I’m pretty sure this is a ghost and the driver is about to have a most horrible death.

Speaking of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster

Tilt steering is a comfort option? A decade earlier, it was a luxury option.

The Wagoneer is coming back… maybe.

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One Horse is a-plenty!

Magazine ad for St. Louis Coffin Co.'s No. 15 Wagon
From the December 1910 issue of The Casket, found and preserved by Charles Addams in Dear Dead Days.
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Rhythm is gonna get you.

1948 magazine ad for Rhythm Lingerie
1948 magazine ad for Rhythm Lingerie

Slip into something a little more comfortable.

Enjoy a brief history of nylon from Mental Floss.

Enjoy a less-brief history of nylon from Science History Institute.

A little bit and a little bit more on “artist of the stars” Bradshaw Crandell.

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If a frock has pockets, are the pockets called frockets?

1948 magazine ad for Country Club
1948 magazine ad for Country Club

Yes, yes they are, because I said so.

I believe this ad also promoted the horror movie, “Attack of the 50 Foot Magic-Plaid-Wearing Woman”.

In 1948, this company made dresses available in sizes 10 to 18. Did you know that dress sizes have changed dramatically over the years?

$6 in 1948 is equal to $65.89 in 2020.

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“I’m a terrific tornado…” — Mayhem

1904 Connecticut Fire Insurance Co. advertisement
1904 advertisement found in a 1959 collection by Charles Addams (of Addams Family fame)

“Cow.”Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt), Twister (1996)

AccuWeather identifies five types of tornadoes.

Do you know the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale?

From what I can tell from a version of this in the Library of Congress’s collection, this might have been a post-Victorian trade card, an advertising blotter or perhaps the top of a calendar.

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