Friday, February 22, 2013

1957 Downtown Lorain – Washington's Birthday Sale

Feb. 21, 1957 full-page Lorain Journal ad
Yesterday I mentioned how George Washington's Feb. 22 birthday used to be a holiday. Well, it was also a good excuse for a sale – just like today.

The above full-page ad appeared in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 21, 1957, announcing a big Downtown Lorain sale. The ad seems to be made up entirely of disparate clip art elements.

The "shocking truth about prices" mentioned in the ad was merely a gimmick in that, like George Washington, the stores weren't lying about their great, low prices.

What's amusing is that each store had its own cartoon clip art version of our first president. Here's an ample sample (below), including Sam Klein, Ted Jacob's, Kresge's and Smith and Gerhart. (Click on each for a larger version.)





One thing's for sure. These little cartoons are downright quaint compared to seeing actors portraying George Washington and Abraham Lincoln dancing and singing in current furniture and car commercials! 

2 comments:

Lisa said...

What's up with "Men! IF you wear clothes..." ??!! Is 'clothing optional for men' one of those old laws that nobody knows about anymore, like no spitting on the sidewalk? ha ha

Dan Brady said...

The ad must be referring to Lorain's little known nudist colony!