Beyond belief: a new Charles Saatchi tome reveals advertising’s dark past
There was a brief spell at the turn of the century when rediscovered retro imagery provided a startling reminder of the sins of the past. A treasure trove of advertising archives surfaced online, bringing a thrilling schadenfreude that allowed us to balk piously at the blatant ignorance, sexism, bigotry and pure wrong-headedness of old school advertising.
In recent years, we’ve had Mad Men weaving a compelling narrative out of this particular mire, and it’s safe to say that the intersection of old-fashioned ignorance and what was then ultra-modern media still holds a morbid fascination. Charles Saatchi’s latest compendium pulls together the best of the worst, complete with typically pithy dismissals.
What's saddest of all – as a glimpse at the trending social media of the day regularly reveals – is that such attitudes are not as safely confined to history as we might like, meaning that Beyond Belief fails to make you feel better about yourself.
The second chapter explores laughably bold cigarette adverts; for example, Pall Mall's claim that their longer 'smooth' cigarette were healthier are they filtered out the harsh chemicals.
Children were often used by Marlboro to promote smoking as a family activity.
INFORMATION
Beyond Belief, by Charles Saatchi, £25, published by Booth-Clibborn Editions. For more information, visit the publisher’s website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which features a 1990s-inspired riff on the G-Wagon
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
‘Mid-Century Type’ surveys the best graphic design from 1945 to 1965
This must-have manual of post-war graphic design tracks the evolution of midcentury visual culture and the people and studios that shaped it
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A century of all-American toy advertising in pictures
A new Taschen book chronicles the 20th-century toy advertising boom in America, recounting how compelling visual storytelling sparked a consumer revolution
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated