The Golden Age of Advertising – the 50s

by Jim Heimann (Editor)

Colorful capitalism (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary special edition) As McCarthyism swept across the United States and capitalism was king, white America enjoyed a feeling of pride and security that was reflected in advertising. Carelessly flooding society with dangerous misinformation, companies in the 50s promoted everything from vacations in Las Vegas, where guests could watch atomic bombs detonate, to cigarettes as healthy mood-enhancers, promoted by a baby who claims his mother feels better after she smokes a Marlboro. In this 25th anniversary special edition, you'll find ads for cars, travel, technology, liquor, cigarettes, movies, appliances, furniture, war bonds, toothpaste, you name it?the full spectrum of products and services available to the eager American consumer. These ads portray an accurate picture of the colorful capitalism that dominated the spirit of the 50s.

Genres: Collections, Art

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2005

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is full of a lot of different ads to look at, a larger format would have been nice, but still a great look into advertising and social history. Hardly any text so great if you just want to look at images, but not so good for info about the ads themselves.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chock full of pre-space age ads, wish it was larger format.

[Scott Wiener · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are strange time capsules that are fun to look through.