A vintage 1948 print advertisement for Alemite car lubricant presents a family-oriented pitch. We are told "The Holdens discovered that 80% of all repair bills are not necessary—are the result of incorrect lubrication." Eighty percent! By servicing the family car at a repair shop that specializes in state-of-the-art Alemite Lubricating Equipment, the Holdens were able to save enough to buy young Danny a new bike. What good parents!
The following year, Alemite commissioned popular New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno to create a series of humorous ads for the product. The basic idea of the ad campaign was that car owners would plan to have their vehicle serviced on "A"-Day, "A" of course being for Alemite. Each of the print ads I have found date from 1949 (if the date is stated by the seller) and were run in the Saturday Evening Post (if the publication is named at the top).
Let's begin with a trip to the fortune-teller's. Shouldn't the expression be "tall, dark, and handsome?"
Note: Did I get them all? I would like to hear from readers with access to Peter Arno Alemite ads I might have missed, or with more complete sources and dates of publication, or with a better scan of the lifeguard ad, or perhaps with original art from the series. See, I don't ask for much.
Ads by Peter Arno from the Warren Bernard collection, including the fortune-teller image shown above, were collected on Ink Spill in 2017 here.
Chris Wheeler's gallery of Arno advertising work may be seen here.
Peter Arno
Advertising
Attempted Bloggery's Greasy Index
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| Picture of the Holdens paying for Danny's new bike! Alemite advertisement 1948 |
Let's begin with a trip to the fortune-teller's. Shouldn't the expression be "tall, dark, and handsome?"
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| You'll meet a tall, dark man on "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, 1949 |
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| Sorry, dear, I just remembered it's "A-Day!" Peter Arno Alemite advertisement 1949 |
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| Let me out of here—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, 1949 |
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| Toodle-oo, Miss Pratt. I just remembered it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement 1949 |
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| Pardon me, boys!—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, 1949 |
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| Let go, Mathilda! I just remembered—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post |
Another Post ad I could find only on Pinterest was scanned at a lower resolution:
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| I'm sorry, miss! Just remembered—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post |
A good journalist never reveals his confidential sources. Here are some of mine:
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Peter Arno vintage Alemite ads listed on eBay, accessed May 20, 2020 |
Note: Did I get them all? I would like to hear from readers with access to Peter Arno Alemite ads I might have missed, or with more complete sources and dates of publication, or with a better scan of the lifeguard ad, or perhaps with original art from the series. See, I don't ask for much.
Ads by Peter Arno from the Warren Bernard collection, including the fortune-teller image shown above, were collected on Ink Spill in 2017 here.
Chris Wheeler's gallery of Arno advertising work may be seen here.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
Peter Arno
Advertising
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