In the 1940's and later, Aqua Velva marketed its after-shave with celebrity endorsements from prominent men--artists, writers, actors, military leaders, and even tenors. Included on the list were artist Norman Rockwell, who illustrated some of the advertisements, and James Thurber, who did not. Although portrayed as members of an exclusive club, these celebrity endorsers would have been extremely difficult to gather for a group photo. One could photograph an actor like Burgess Meredith on his own, but to depict a substantial gathering of celebrity Aqua Velva club members would take an illustrator. An anonymous illustrator tried his hand at this in 1942, but a far more successful attempt was made by Constantin Alajálov in 1947, who caricatured seven famous "members of the world's most distinguished After-Shave Club" in color. For good measure, Alajálov, like Rockwell, was included as a "fellow-member."
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| Artist Unknown Advertisement, Aqua Velva Life, November 25, 1942 |
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| Constantin Alajálov "Here's YOUR INVITATION to join one of the world's foremost clubs." Advertisement, Aqua Velva Life, October 27, 1947 |
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| Burgess Meredith Advertisement, Aqua Velva Life, June 5, 1950 |
December 12, 2024 Update: Today cartoonist Michael Maslin visits the subject of after-shave as it pertains to New Yorker cartoonists on Ink Spill here.
Note: This blog now has a ridiculous number of posts featuring the work of Constantin Alajálov. I don't think anyone else is doing anything like this at the moment.
Is it possible you're not seeing enough ads? No problem. Additional posts about advertising are available for your viewing pleasure.
Note: This blog now has a ridiculous number of posts featuring the work of Constantin Alajálov. I don't think anyone else is doing anything like this at the moment.
Is it possible you're not seeing enough ads? No problem. Additional posts about advertising are available for your viewing pleasure.
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