Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Smith and Gerhart Christmas Ad – December 6, 1950

Here's a Christmas-themed ad for Smith and Gerhart Inc. The ad for the iconic Lorain store appeared in the Lorain Journal on December 6, 1950.

There's plenty of goodies for the ladies in this ad: "razzle-dazzle" rhinestone jewelry consisting of pins, necklaces, bracelets and earings; genuine calfskin leather purses; and nylons that were S & G's "very own brand" – Elynors.

Their own brand? Does that mean that "Elynors" is some sort of mashup of the words "Elyria" and – ?

Apparently not. It seems that Elynor Fashions was based out of New York and was known for a wide variety of goods and services, including ladies hats, coats, suits, blouses, sweaters, hosiery and underwear. The company had its own namesake stores in some markets, and merely made their merchandise available to stores such as S & G.

Anyway, the ad is a nice reminder of the days when illustration ruled the day in the advertising world.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"The Loveliest Legs Wear Hosiery"...ah, how I remember my saintly mother drilling that lesson into me back when I was a mere beardless youth! Good memories!

-Lawrence "Loretta" Chudnick