Tuesday, November 2, 2010

1958 Lorain School Levy Ad

From the 'some things never change department'!

Just as it is right now, Lorain was trying to pass a school levy back in the fall of 1958. Here's a newspaper ad that ran in the Lorain Journal back in late October of that year. (Click on it for a closer look.)

Advertising approaches certainly have changed over the years. The ad grabbed my attention because of its use of illustration. I love the bold silhouette graphic used to represent teachers (although it seems to imply that teachers were all women back then.)

I'm not sure why the desk is lurching to one side. Maybe the ad has a subliminal 'sinking ship' message?

What's hilarious (to me at least) are the clip art illustrations used to represent the children. The freckle-faced little boy is wearing a Jughead-style 'crown' hat. Here's what a wiki entry for Archie's pal Jughead says about the hat:

This type of crown-shaped cap often puzzles modern readers, but caps like this were popular among boys in the 1930s and 1940s. It was made from a man's felt fedora hat with the brim trimmed in a zig-zag and turned up. In the 1920s and 1930s, such caps usually indicated the wearer was a mechanic.

All I know is that the boy looks like a bully or junior thug! And the little girl's face is filled with apprehension – maybe at the thought of the levy failing.

I didn't load the next microfilm reel to find out if the school levy passed back then, as I ran out of time. I wonder if it will pass this year? We'll know soon.

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