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Advertising – Paper & Printing

Currently at a modest 50 items, Advertising – Paper & Printing deserves to be cultivated more (and the depths of my hermit-packed, cave like office could certainly provide the materials). Illustration Westvaco (1927-1954), which has been around far longer than this infantile subject, are essentially printing advertisements in booklet form. These are single-page ads culled from publications such as Communication Arts, Fortune Magazine, and Graphis, ranging from the late 1940’s to the early 1980’s.

We have a number of chivalrous Champion Paper ads, some of which are variations on the  below but with a different background saturation color.

Fortune Magazine, August 1949. Champion Papers.

Fortune Magazine, August 1949. Champion Papers.

The Automation of the Gaze:

Fortune Magazine, July 1949. UPLS (The United States Printing and Lithograph Company).

Fortune Magazine, July 1949. UPLS (The United States Printing and Lithograph Company).

If it is an ad placed in a late 1940’s or early 1950’s Fortune Magazine, there is a one in three chance that a hand will feature prominently.

Fortune Magazine, September 1949. Levelcoat Printing Papers by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Fortune Magazine, September 1949. Levelcoat Printing Papers by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Consolidated boasts about landing the coveted American Airlines Account.

Fortune Magazine, March 1950. Consolidated Enamel Papers.

Fortune Magazine, March 1950. Consolidated Enamel Papers.


Prepared in the public interest by Beloit Iron Works.

Fortune, July 1951. Beloit Iron Works.

Fortune, July 1951. Beloit Iron Works.

Fortune Magazine, July 1951. Beloit Iron Works.

Fortune Magazine, July 1951. Beloit Iron Works.

Graphis, v. 9, n. 49 (1953)

Graphis, v. 9, n. 49 (1953)

Communication Arts, v. 13, n. 1 (1971). Kimberly-Clark.

Communication Arts, v. 13, n. 1 (1971). Kimberly-Clark.

Seymour Chwast illustrated this, equal parts regal and far-out, irrational fear of mushrooms.

Communication Arts, v. 13, n. 1 (1971). Strathmore.

Communication Arts, v. 13, n. 1 (1971). Strathmore.

And finally…

Geo, December 1980. Champion. Painting By David Wilcox.

Geo, December 1980. Champion. Painting By David Wilcox.

Illustration – Westvaco (1927-1954) Part I

Tucked away in the 130+ years of the Picture Collection’s Illustration categories is a sub-category with its feet in four decades. Illustration – Westvaco (1927-1954) contains 40 issues of The West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company’s publication Inspiration for Printers. Unlike the majority of content in the Picture Collection, this category contains whole magazines (as opposed to mounted individual sheets culled from magazines, books, pamphlet, etc.). It featured reprints of advertisements as well as original art and design and was itself an advertisement aimed mostly at designers and advertising agencies. The idea was to showcase paper types and printing processes to encourage the sale of paper and services. They are gorgeous and their continued vibrancy is a testament to the superior quality.

From the inside cover of n. 105 (1937):

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Title page to n. 35 (1927).

n. 35 (1927) Canadian Pacific Cruises Ad. Prepared by Ray D. Lillibridge Inc., and painted by Maurice Logan. Printed on Sterling Enamel 25×38-100.

Howard Willard Referenced Cover Below

n. 116 (1939)

n. 116 Inside Cover (1939). Halftone Illustration, 133-Line Screen, By Melbourne Brindle, Depicting the Pineapple Industry of Hawaii, From and advertisement of the Hawaii Tourist Bureau, Prepared by Bowman Deute Cummings, Inc.

Cover n. 41 (1928)

n. 41 (1928). “The Midnight Express” courtesy of the Cadillac Motor Car Company. Printed by offset lithography.

n. 105 (1937) Title Page.

n. 129 (1941)

n. 158 (1946) 

n. 177 (1949)
Painter: Robert Kuhn
Art Director: Kenneth Paul
Advertiser: Ethyl Corporation
Agency: Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne Inc.
Engraving: Four color process, 120 line screen

More samples to come in a future post…