The Poster King
Posted: December 22, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, Arthur Niven-Tosseau, Arthur von Tosseau, C Arthur Niven-Tosseau, history Manly Corso, street artists, Sydney history, The Poster King, Tossau Leave a commentC Arthur Von Tosseau (or Arthur Niven Tossau or Arthur Tozzart and/or other name variations along the way) made his living for a large part of his life traveling around Australia performing as a sketch artist in public places such as the Manly Corso, as well as regional centres across the country as this advertisement from the Maitland Daily Mercury on 26 July 1923 portrays.
These examples of his work on advertising posters can be found in the collection of the State Library of Victoria.
Fat man with Panama hat – Tossau, C. Arthur von & Mason, Firth & McCutcheon (1904) – isn’t clear about the brand of ale it’s advertising although it does look like a good place to be at this time of year.
Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) never had such an ethereal treatment as with his The Gift of the Gods poster – Tossau, C. Arthur von & Mason, Firth & McCutcheon (1904). A tasteful use of cloud camouflage don’t you think?
There are numerous articles about Mr Tosseau in Trove’s digital collection. One gets the impression he was quite skilled at self-promotion as he appeared regularly on radio programs and was often available to be interviewed on his arrival in a new town with his show. He would not have appreciated this publicity in 1923 when he appeared in court after a mishap at one of his shows on the Manly Corso. (Sydney Morning Herald – 2 May 1923)
At the age of 54, while traveling with his Poster King show, Arthur Tosseau died at the wheel of his car. This account is from The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate of 9 May 1927.
His story can be found in more detail on this link to Manly Library’s Local History blog. The photograph of Tosseau is also from that site.
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we’ve come a long way baby – not
Posted: March 14, 2013 Filed under: handy hints, household products, women | Tags: advertising, Carlton Beer, domestic chores, handy hints, ironing, women Leave a commentCheck out the language in this 17 August 1930 Sunday Mail item.
“Ironing is quite pleasant work”.
Who wrote this?
“These labour-saving hints will be welcome to many little housewives“
But we’ve come a long way haven’t we. Fast forward 80 years or so.
The promotion included this:
“Give the wife, girlfriend or partner a rest tomorrow night, because the Carlton Draught girls will be in to do your laundry (well your ironing anyway)”.
There are no words fit to print.
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Solvol saved him
Posted: March 29, 2011 Filed under: advertising, household products | Tags: advertising, Solvol, Trove Australia Leave a commentThe Courier Mail – 14 November 1933
This pumice bar ‘soap’ was developed in 1915 to remove work based stains from your hands. It is still available today.
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“Mum takes the worry out of being close”
Posted: March 25, 2011 Filed under: advertising | Tags: advertising, Mum deodorant, slogans, Trove Australia Leave a commentAustralian Women’s Weekly – 2 October 1963
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Vegemite
Posted: March 15, 2011 Filed under: food | Tags: advertising, Happy Little Vegemites, Trove Australia, vegemite Leave a commentThe spread based on brewer’s yeast was created in 1922. Here are some sample advertisements for Vegemite across four decades. In the 1950s and 60s, magazine and newspaper advertising went personal with children being featured as Happy Little Vegemites. Go here for everything you wanted to know about Vegemite and its history.
1920s – Argus 8 March 1924 and Rockhampton Morning Bulletin 3 December 1924.
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1930s – West Australian 12 May 1932
1940s – Australian Women’s Weekly 14 August 1948
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1950s – Australian Women’s Weekly – 14 September 1955
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Even the prisoners liked Aeroplane Jelly
Posted: February 26, 2011 Filed under: advertising | Tags: advertising, Aeroplane Jelly, Goulburn gaol, prison, Trove Australia Leave a commentMusical items performed by prisoners in Goulburn Gaol (Jail) were broadcast as an experiment in October 1938 (The Mail).
In 1952, commercial networks had taken up the broadcasts and Aeroplane Jelly was the sponsor.
.Aeroplane Jelly image – Wikipedia article
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On deodorants and superfluous hair
Posted: February 16, 2011 Filed under: advertising | Tags: advertising, deodorant, diaries, superfluous hair, women, WWI 1 CommentThe Women’s Department of The Queenslander – 6 December 1919 attracted advertisements that could have dented the self-esteem of any modern woman. With the exception of a request from the Mitchell Library for the diaries of soldiers returned from World War I, the page is full of products designed to remedy the short-comings of being overweight, having superfluous or grey hair, hysteria, excessive perspiration, lice, ringworm and any number of undefined ‘female’ maladies.
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What’s in your bottom drawer?
Posted: February 11, 2011 Filed under: weddings | Tags: advertising, bottom-drawer, glory-box, hope-chest, Velvet soap, weddings 1 Comment
Vesta writes for the information of ‘every girl anticipating her wedding day’ on the glory box, “bottom drawer” or hope box in The Argus – 10 September 1913. Essential reading for the ” proud proprietor of the bottom drawer [who] has her destiny pretty well in sight.”
“she who lays in a supply of saucepans, kettles and pots and pans, to say nothing of the smaller items such as cooking forks, patty-pans, and rolling pins, and, above all, the indispensable mincing machine, will be thankful when the wedding time comes that she has saved herself so much worry and money.”
In 1937, Kathleen Evans sensibly decided against the box and went for the suitcase option given the occupation of her intended. Courier Mail – Mid-Week Musings.
Marian March in the Adelaide Advertiser (7 Feb 1940) gave one ‘puzzled reader’ a head start with a list of suggested glory box inclusions.
And “Aunt Jenny” is delighted to learn how towels saved in Mrs Simpson’s glory box are still going strong 35 years on. “I had them in my glory box when I married in 1912”
Australian Women’s Weekly – 8 October 1947
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Australia’s early restaurant scene
Posted: February 9, 2011 Filed under: food | Tags: advertising, dining, restaurants Leave a commentEarly references to restaurants in Australian newspapers were only included in reports from Europe. The word restaurant was more than not accompanied by an explanatory (eating-house).
From the 1840s, city restaurants began to be advertised. Taverns transformed into ‘restaurants’ or included them in their premises. Mr Gill in The Australian (1845) offered exotic food prepared by an “East Indian Cook”. Mr Gregory (1856) covered all bases in his Argus advertisement of the Melbourne Hall of Commerce restaurant – from recherche, refined taste to more simple fare.
In 1861, George Hart advertised his Brisbane restaurant as the first in Queensland, having been “induced by the rapidly increasing population of Queensland to introduce [his] novel house of refreshment”.
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Smoking manners
Posted: February 8, 2011 Filed under: advertising | Tags: advertising, cigarettes, smoking, women 1 CommentNever hold the cigarette between your teeth or at the side of your mouth. Oh, and if you happen to be a woman with a “pretty proboscis”, don’t blow smoke through those beautiful nostrils of yours. In 1933, advertising in the Australian Women’s Weekly chastised the inhospitable host who did not offer cigarettes to their guests.
The Queenslander – 11 May 1889
The Australian Women’s Weekly – 24 June 1933
now and then 
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