So I know wasoxygen in particular wanted to see these when they were finished, but I got my car ads back from the frame shop. The whole experience was absolutely amazing and the lady who owns the shop was an immense help. She discussed with me every aspect about the ads and why I was framing them. We talked about using acid free materials and UV resistant glass so that they would last and be well preserved. The hardest part was choosing what kind of frames to work with, as she had everything from wood to metal, plain to fancy, and almost any color you could imagine. I myself tend to be pretty plain and boring, so I went for a no frills, dark brown that I thought looked good.

I tried my best to take as clear pictures of these as possible, as I think every little element really makes these ads what they are. The artwork, as is obvious, is colorful and detailed and they really make the cars look so appealing. The text do an amazing job of making you want these cars, or at the very least make you think you want them, as they talk about the cars' features with passion and enthusiasm. I'm not really an art critique or a writing critique of any type, but I really recommend reading each one, as they all sell their cars a little differently.

This first one is actually the first car ad I ever bought, about five or six years ago now, when I was out antique shopping with my wife and some relatives. This one is one of my favorites, because even though visually it's kind of bland when you compare it to other ad layouts, the actual DeSoto illustration is bright and rich and really draws your eye. At the same time, the text really seems to go the extra mile to sell the car. I don't know much about cars from this era, but if I'm thinking right this is the transmission the ad is talking about. It's not an automatic transmission, but the nifty thing is that it lets you start from a dead stop in any gear. My favorite part though is the blurb at the very end . . .

“Tune in The Groucho Marx Show, 'You Bet Your Life.' Every Wednesday night over all CBS stations.”

It's an ad within an ad. It's kind of cool.

I remember wanting this particular Chrylser ad the moment I set eyes on it. I think whoever put this ad together did an amazing job illustrating what Chrysler was hoping to sell here. The top image shows just how beautiful the car is on the exterior while the bottom image really drives home their point of “Roominess!” What's great is even though they want to focus on the roominess of the car, they take the time to discuss other selling points, such as the suspension and brake quality. All in all though, I think this is just a really beautiful ad.

The last picture is of two ads I had framed together. They both for Ford Victorias and they both focus on different aspect of the cars. The ad on the left talks about how affordable the cars are while still being a high quality product. The ad on the right talks about all of the safety features Ford implements in their cars. The bear is actually a really cute touch and I kind of wish I'd find more ads like this. There's something fun about it.

So yeah. Car ads. I'll probably get a second batch framed down the road and when I do, I'll post them on here. Though I have to admit, I'm a bit on the fence about doing more. While these turned out great and I don't regret getting these framed in the slightest, the fact that framing the ads cost considerably more than what the ads are even worth brings fiscal practicality into question. Though, I have to admit, they look good hanging up on my walls.