The Golden Age of Advertising: The 60s

Ads from the space age With the consumerist euphoria of the fifties still going strong and the race to the moon at its height, the mood of advertising in the sixties was cheerful, optimistic, and at times, revolutionary. The decade’s ads touted perceived progress (such as Tang-"just add water") while striving to reinforce good old American values. Stars like Raquel Welch, Sean Connery, Woody Allen, and Sammy Davis Jr. endorsed everything from sunglasses to bourbon to handmade suits in an attempt by Madison Avenue to urge Americans to open their wallets and participate in one giant consumer binge. Social change at the end of the era brought psychedelic swirls and liberated women and minorities to a newly conscious public. From forgotten cars such as the Studebaker Avanti, to cigarettes ("Marlboro... a man’s world of flavor") to food, clothing, consumer products, furniture, travel, and much more, this colorful collection of print ads explores the wide, wonderful world of 60s Americana.