New Painting For Collection

We recently acquired an oil painting by Charles Archibald MacLellan for the Archives collection.  When I saw photos of the painting, I thought it was the image from the 1928 deck of cards and tray.  However, when the painting arrived yesterday and I was able to get a good look at it to compare it to the other image, it is obvious that while the same pose is used for both, the works are different.  Our advertising department and agency would frequently commission artwork featuring a pose and would select what they felt was the best.  Readers of the blog may remember the Rockwell painting we acquired last year that was never used for an ad.

I think I like the painting more than the art that was eventually chosen.  It has a warmer feel to it.

 

Work Needs A Pause Labor Day Ad

One of the projects I am working on is cataloging hundreds of ads in our historic Print Ad Collection. The ads can be very intriguing and every now and then we find a true gem, as is the case with this "Work Refreshed" full page print ad featured in The American Weekly for the week of August 31, 1941. Although I had seen this image used in our ads before, in the bottom right corner here is a red disc of text celebrating Labor Day specifically:

Labor Day, tomorrow, emphasizes the fact that work needs a pause to produce more work, better work. So in factory, office, shipyard and workshop you find a welcome for ice-cold Coca-Cola... the easy way to  turn to refreshment without turning from work. The pause that refreshes is on the job.

1934 Home Sampling - What A Great Car!

On this Firday before Labor Day, I wanted to post a few fun photographs I came across this week.  These images are from a 1934 home sampling effort.  While I have blogged about the dispenser being debuted at the 1933 Chicago Fair, I don't think I have seen it used in quite this fashion.  I am not a "car guy," but if anyone knows what kind of car the bottler modified to hold the dispenser, let me know.

Howard Finster Documentary

Jennifer Lindsay Sullivan (in photo to left) of TheArtTrade.Com and David Leonardis of the Howard Finster Vision House Museum were in the Archives today filming an interview for a documentary they are producing on Howard Finster and his art.  The documentary, titled Delivering on Howard Finster's Painted Message will include a section on Finster's use of the contour bottle shape as a canvas for his art.  The interview was fun and I can't wait to see the finished piece.