Coca-Cola ads by Gil Elvgren

October 9th, 2010   |   3 Comments   |   1930 – 1950

Gil Elvgren – a student of Haddon Sundblom, Elvgren is perhaps best known for drawing and painting pin-up girls. His style was so similar to Sundblom’s that he could finish paintings that his mentor had started. Working with Sundblom Gil Elvgren contributed to various Coca-Cola ads himself.
The first advertising artwork for Coca-Cola that Elvgren worked on was in 1939. It is a scene of a pilot and a flight attendant in an airport snack bar having a Coca-Cola with a plane flying past the window behind them.

"Take of... refreshed" 1939 by Gil Elvgren

"Take of... refreshed" 1939 by Gil Elvgren


"The Pause That Refreshes" 1939 by Gil Elvgren

"The Pause That Refreshes" 1939 by Gil Elvgren


"Home refreshment" 1944 by Gil Elvgren

"Home refreshment" 1944 by Gil Elvgren

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Coca-Cola is pre-eminently the drink of quality 1906

September 22nd, 2010   |   No Comments   |   1900 – 1930

This girl is very sexy and seems to be offering something else not the glasses of Coca-Cola. But the most interesting is the background with the gas bubbles or condensation on the outside of a glass. It is the first in a series where the bubbles of gas form the background for decades.

Coca-Cola is pre-eminently the drink of quality 1906

Coca-Cola is pre-eminently the drink of quality 1906


Coke ads from 1900

September 7th, 2010   |   No Comments   |   1860 – 1900
Coca-Cola calendar with (Hilda Clark) 1900

Coca-Cola calendar with (Hilda Clark) 1900


Coca-Cola advertisement on the cover of "American Druggist" Magazine, 1900.

Coca-Cola advertisement on the cover of "American Druggist" Magazine, 1900.


Lillian Nordica – new face of Coca Cola

June 15th, 2010   |   3 Comments   |   1900 – 1930

From 1904 to 1905, Lillian Nordica became the new face of Coca-Cola. Born Lillian Norton in 1857 in Farmington, Maine, Madame Nordica was also a singer who had performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as well as in many major musical venues in Western Europe and Russia. Early calendars and other promotional items featuring the divas of the time not only launched the popular Coca-Cola Girls advertising platform but Clark and Nordica items had also become some of the greatest hits with vintage Coca-Cola collectors over the years.

1905 Lillian Nordica Coca-Cola Ad with Coupon

1905 Lillian Nordica Coca-Cola Ad with Coupon


Lillian Nordica, Opera Star, c. 1905

Lillian Nordica, Opera Star, c. 1905


First Coca Cola Girl

June 14th, 2010   |   6 Comments   |   1860 – 1900, 1900 – 1930

Singer Hilda Clark became the first celebrity model for The Coca-Cola Company. Also known as the First Coca-Cola Girl, Hilda’s image was used on cardboard signs, tin trays, trade cards, bookmarks, drink tickets, and calendars from 1899 to 1903.

An 1890s advertisement showing model Hilda Clark in formal 19th century attire. The ad is titled Drink Coca-Cola 5¢.

An 1890s advertisement showing model Hilda Clark in formal 19th century attire. The ad is titled Drink Coca-Cola 5¢.


Calendar with Hilda Clark

Calendar with Hilda Clark


Hilda Clark actress

Hilda Clark actress


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