Vintage Mum

Ooo, wait, this is the wrong kind of Mum, isn’t it? How embarrassing …Someone told me a little while back that Hallmark had invented Mother’s Day. He was not consciously being cynical or facetious, but thus challenged, I immediately turned to Wikipedia for the facts.

There I learned that the modern holiday was first celebrated in 1908 by a woman in West Virginia, USA, who held a memorial for her mother. It was she who campaigned to have it recognised as a holiday, and though she was successful in 1914, she was disappointed by its commercialisation in the 1920s. I guess that must be round about the time Hallmark took a hand.

Regardless of the day’s origins, there’s nothing wrong with honouring a beloved mother, right? Happy Mother’s Day! This one’s for you, mum.

That’s better …1920s advertisement from Melissa Brady King. Click image for a larger version to read the copy and have a giggle. Victorian diecut from The Vintage Moth.

Dumb Ways to Die on the Metro

Melbourne Metro, in a bid to end – or at least reduce – deaths on the railway system due to testosterone-driven stupidity (I’ve yet to hear of any young girls train-surfing) have launched a new campaign called Dumb Ways to Die. The poster campaign features endearing little bean-shaped characters whose collective fates graphically illustrate the link between stupid life choices and violent death.

The poster copy is cleverly written in rhyme, and most of the suggestions are obviously ridiculous –coupled with the simple drawings, therein lies their humour. Amongst the silliness there are a couple of serious messages however. One can only hope that these sink into the minds of those most likely to take foolish risks. The bold simplicity and the catchy rhyme of the illustrations certainly make them memorable and attention-grabbing, which is a good start. 

Click images for larger versions.

The results of poking grizzly bears …

Rollerboy

I am not sure quite how I discovered this picture from Old Bike, an online bicycle museum, but it made me giggle so much that I had to keep a copy of it to share with you. The photograph is from 1905 and shows an amusing early form of bicycle crossed with rollerskates. His outfit is truly the crowning touch. He’s only missing a pair of mustachios. 

French Scents

Aren’t these vintage perfume ads for Lancôme simply gorgeous? I tore them from a Greek magazine many years ago. Unfortunately I can’t make scents of it at all, (it’s all Greek to me, teehee!) – and there does not seem to be any indication of dates alongside the images. From the style I am guessing that these were created in the 1930s and 40s. 

… the name ‘Lancôme’ was inspired by the ruins of a castle …

The beauty brand was founded by Armand Petitjean in Paris in 1935. According to Wikipedia, the name ‘Lancôme’ was inspired by the ruins of a castle, le Château de Lancosme, while the roses in the area inspired the company’s symbol of the single golden rose. These early ads don’t carry a logo at all however.

They sure don’t design ads the way they used to though, do they? How much more evocative are these than the style of today’s beauty advertisements, with their brash typography and endless array of airbrushed Hollywood actresses? It’s the age-old argument of illustration versus photography, and I for one am happy to see illustration returning a little to the fore in magazines these days. Variety is the spice of life after all. 

A Little Embellishment

Amelia-Jane was looking through paper samples this morning and came across this delightful retro piece that made us both exclaim, “Oooo! It’s so pretty!” as we ran our fingers over the embossed and pearl foiled bar of soap on this sample. Nothing like embossing and foiling to get a couple of graphic designers excited!

The paper stock is 320gsm Freelife Vellum Cream, supplied by Spices paper, and was printed waterless – an offset lithographic printing process. The super-cute copywriting is by Al et al, and the appealing retro design comes from Lloyd Grey Design, both companies based in Queensland.