WARES AND SNARES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 27 July 1929, Page 4

WARES AND SNARES

LOOKING BACKWARD

HUMOUR IN ADVERTISEMENTS

THE EIDERDOWN PETTICOAT In these days of highly specialised progress, when tho business of advertising call to its aid all the available sources of the arts and crafts, it is interesting to recall that the fiyst advertisements wore more in Hit nature of proclamations than deliberately devised mediums to encourage trade. Early examples, somo 300 years ago, often took the form of verse; as, for example, the heroic poem of congratulation on Cromwell’s victories in Ireland, !i> be found in the "Mercurius Politieus” for January, 1652. In a. genera) sense advertisement then denoted any, information publicly communicated. It was not long, however, before this narrowed towards the particularity we know to-day. Thus in tho “Domestic Intelligence” for January, 1679, wo find the following grocer’s advertisement: —“William Deval, at the Angel and Stilliards, in St. Ann’s Lane, near Aldersgate, London, makctli Castle (Castillo) Marble and White Sope as good as any Marseilles Sope; Tryed and Proved and sold at very Reasonable Rates.”

You perceive that Mr Deval is no whit behind his modern fellows in modest estimates of the wares to be sold. The reference to the “Sope” of Marseilles has lo do with the fact that soap, wax', tallow and similar articles Were then part of the merchandise in Which the Hanse merchants dealt. Here, perhaps, we have the forerunner of tho “Times” agony column av.d the Missing Friends columns of the papers. It is from tho London “Gazette” of January, 1697:—• “George Tunbridge, aged about 16, a short, thickset Lad, with a little dark brown hair, a scar in his left cheek under his eye, wears a canvas jacket lined withy red, and canvas Breeches, with a red cap; run away from his master the 7th instant. Whoever secures him and gives Notice to Mr Henry Davis, Waxchandler, at tho Cow’s Face, in Miles Lane, in Canon Street, shall have a guinea reward and reasonable charges.” Ono wonders if Master George was returned to the worthy waxchandlor, and if so whether his canvas breeches gave him any advantage over the clothbrcechcd delinquent of to-day. Our charity bids us hope so. One of the most striking features of the early advertisement was its flavour of politeness. How opposed to the curt announcement of a sale of unredeemed pledges in tho current newspapers is the following from a London pawnbroker in the year 1711: ’

“All persons that liavo any Household Goods, Plate, Rings, Watches, Jewels, Wearing Apparel, etc., in the hands of Thomas Bastin, at the Three Cocks, in St. John’s Lane, Pawnbroker, which were pledged to him before tho 25th of December, .1709, are desired to fetch them away by the 25th March next, or they -will be disposed of.” Pawnbrokers in tlioso days, by the way, did not always adhere to tho sign of the Three Balls. Often tho pawnbroker was goldsmith as well, and in that capacity used any sign that ho fancied. The first theatrical advertisements were no more distinguished for modesty than they are to-day. In 1722 a playbill announced the following in large letters:—

“Miller is not with Pinkcthman, hut by himself, at the Angel Tavern, next door to the King’s Bench, who- acts a new Droll, called the Faithful Couple or the Royal Shepherdess, witli a very pleasant entertainment between Old Hob and his Wife, and the comical humours of Mopsey and Collin, with a variety of singing and dancing. Tho only Coinmedian • now that dare vie with the world and challenge tho Fair.” JEMMY WRIGHT’S “CUT” Hero is a barber’s advertisement of the 18th century:— “Hero lives Jcmmio Wright, Shaves almost as well as any man in England, Almost—not quite.” Wright’s windows were broken, so he mended them with paper, on which was scrawled. tho above, fund tho sign “Shave for a penny.” It is related that Foote, the dramatist, who delighted in eccentricity of any kind,' on ' seeing this inscription, thrust his head through l,Le paper into tho shop‘and called: ‘Ts Jemmy Wright at home?” The barber at once thrust his own head outwards through another pane, replying: "No, sir, lie has just popt out.” An advertising sign , penned for a ibarber, it is said, by Dean Swift, was as follows:—“Rove not from pole to polo but step in here, where naught excels tlie shaving but tho beer.” The reference there is to the barber-publican, who flourished in those times. The amalgamation of tho two trades would appear to have led to numerous jests in advertising. About 1866 a public house in Philadelphia, with tho sign of the lion, displayed this advertising slogan: “The lion roars, but do not fear, cakes and beer sold here.” An inn at Stockport, England, declared elegantly: “The lion is strong, the cat is vicious, my ale is strong and so is my liquors.” But these instances, strictly speaking,' belong rather to a history of signboards. The vendor of patent nostrums was among the first to see the value of advertising. Here is an early attempt lauding the virtues of a “Cock Water for a Consumption and Cough in. tho Lunges.” The recipe runs: “Take a running cock and pull him alive, then kill him and cutte him in pieces, and take out his intralies, and wipe him dearie, break the hones, then put him in an ordinary still with a pottle ot sack and a. pottle of Red. Cow’s Milk,” etc., . Red Cow’s milk being tho nostrum in tho case. Just after the great fire of London one Edward Barlet, Oxford carrier, in

advertising his removal to new premises added ingenuously: “His coaches and waggons going forth on their usual days, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Ho hath also a hearse with all things convenient to carry a eorpso to any part of England.” This advertisement appeared in the “London Gazette,” 12th March, 1672.

THE FLAMBOYANT STYLE Coming closer to our own times the “Illustrated London News” of 1864 provides a number of quaintly-distinguished advertisements. A Professor Anderson thus heralds his appearance at St. James’s Hall: “Professor Anderson, Great Wizard of the North, cosmopolitan monarch of magicians, prestidigitator, illusionist, physicist and traveller round the world. ...” With his is his daughter, “Miss Anderson, the Modern Mnemosyne and Retro-Reminiscent Orthogrnphist.” Together they promise a “Soiree Fantastique to contain all the known sciences on a scale of splendour totally eclipsing all that has ever been done in the metropolis.” M. Boissonneau, wlm describes himself as senior oculist to tho French army, begins engagingly thus: “Everyone lias marked the unpleasant, dirty appearance of a Glass Eye which can ahvay be de-

tectcd by the disagreeable expression on tho psysiognomy. • ■ • ” M. Boissonneau’s own patented glass eye of courso is the very reverse of all this. It "combines the attributes of lightness, solidity and comfort with the expressive motion of visual organs.” It is, in short, "a little chef d’oeuvre in enamel.” Further on we road of “Eiderdown petticoats not to be surpassed for elegance, lightness and comfort, as honoured for many years by Royal and distinguished patronage.” Here is an advertisement of u crinoline: "The patent Gudina, or waved Jupon, does nwav with the unsightly results of the ordinary hoops, and so perfect are the wavelike bands that a lady may ascend a steep stair, lean against a table, throw herself into an armchair, pass to tier stall at the opera, or occupy a fourth seat in a carriage, without inconvenience to herself or others, or provoking the rude remarks of the observers thus modifying in an important degree all those peculiarities tending to destroy the modesty of Englishwomen.”

This advertisement appeared on 9th July. On 20th August, under tho column heading, Echoes of the. Week, tho journal itself comments thus pithily ori the matter of crinolines: “Crinoline, which slays our women as War slays our men, has of course given its three or four victims during the week to death by fire. Talk about Juggernaut or Suttee—what are they to the idol Fashion?” Whercunon, doubtless, the proprietors of the Patent Otidina or waved Jupon, threatened to discontinue their advertisement. In these old advertisements is a treasure ground of humour and interest well worth prospecting. Incidentally, also, an opportunity is afforded to study the remarkable growth resulting in tho amazingly complete equipment of tho best modern advertisements.