15 Vintage Ads Reminding You it Was a Different Time
Old advertisements can tell you a surprising amount about what people used to buy, eat, and expect from everyday life. A vacuum cleaner was once promoted as a perfectly good Christmas present, vegetables somehow ended up inside gelatin desserts, and buying a home computer required a budget that would make most people reconsider the whole idea. Some of the ads are charming, others are completely baffling, and a few make you wonder who approved the campaign in the first place. Reddit users have collected plenty of these forgotten magazine pages, complete with illustrations, strange slogans, and products that have since disappeared. Here are 15 vintage advertisements that belong to a very different era.
A Vacuum Cleaner Was Apparently a Christmas Gift
This 1946 Hoover advertisement presents an upright vacuum cleaner as a holiday present.
Jell-O Once Came in Celery Flavor
A vintage Jell-O advertisement promotes a vegetable-flavored gelatin intended for salads, when mixing vegetables with a wobbly dessert wasn’t considered an unusual culinary decision.
This Spinach Was Supposed to Look Appetizing
A 1972 Stouffer’s advertisement presents a square block of spinach as an attractive side dish, complete with the kind of food photography that makes modern advertising look restrained.
Owning a Computer Was a Very Expensive Statement
A 1980 advertisement asks what kind of man owns a computer, presenting a $2,500 machine as an exciting purchase for the technologically ambitious.
Television Was Sold Like Fine Furniture
This Motorola advertisement presents television sets as elegant living-room pieces, with polished wooden cabinets and tiny screens treated like luxury design objects.
Flying Used to Come With a Lounge
A Delta Air Lines advertisement shows passengers relaxing with drinks in a club compartment, back when jet travel was sold as a spacious, dressed-up experience.
A Male Telephone Operator Was Newsworthy
A 1972 Bell Telephone advertisement highlights a man working as a telephone operator, challenging expectations about a profession traditionally associated with women.
Even Dishwasher Questions Were Divided by Gender
This 1954 KitchenAid advertisement splits dishwasher questions into “she asks” and “he asks,” turning a kitchen appliance into a neat little lesson in 1950s gender roles.
Apparently, a Few Tears Could Sell Appliances
This Dormeyer advertisement tells wives to circle the appliances they want for Christmas and, if their husbands hesitate, cry a little.
Cat Food Had a Much Stranger Name
A vintage Whiskas advertisement promotes something called “Jellymeat,” a name that probably wouldn’t be the first choice for a modern pet food campaign.
Even a Rock Could Become a Bestselling Pet
The Pet Rock craze of 1975 turned ordinary stones into novelty gifts, complete with cardboard carriers and instructions for caring for your new companion.
Even Marriage Proposals Needed Jell-O
A 1953 advertisement uses an awkward marriage proposal to promote Jell-O, complete with family members waiting nearby and dessert apparently ready for the occasion.
Apparently, Being a Good Wife Came With Instructions
A vintage Swan soap advertisement tells women to give their husbands privacy, show interest in their work, and help them relax after a long day.
McDonald’s Once Had a Very Different Look
A June 1973 McDonald’s advertisement features bold lettering, colorful clothing, and a distinctly seventies visual style, long before the company’s familiar modern campaigns.
A Tiny Refrigerator Was Called Full-Size
A 1950 Philco advertisement promotes a refrigerator with just seven cubic feet of capacity as a full-size appliance, showing how much kitchen expectations have changed.