Illustrious Illustrations

I don't know about you, but I wish that fashion magazines and ad agencies would start using illustrations again. Am I the only one who is a little tired of seeing airbrushed photographs of the same models/celebrities/it girls wearing the latest fashions or hawking cosmetics and perfume? Take the 1955 Lancôme ad, above. Illustrated by artist E. M. Perot, the charming ad reminds me of Tony Duquette's whimsical drawings. As much as I like Kate Winslet as an actress, I would be much more inclined to buy Lancôme products if they used illustrations like those above rather than the current campaign featuring Winslet. Rather than being old-fashioned, illustrations might actually be a novel way to advertise in 2012. You know, in an "everything old is new again" kind of way.

I did a little sleuthing around the internet, and it seems that during the 1940s and 50s, Perot illustrated quite a few ads for Lancôme fragrance including Flèches, Marrakech, and Magie. I've included a few examples of his work below as well as two unusual ads that were not drawn by Perot. People collect these types of old ads and display them as art. I wonder if fifty years from now, people will be displaying Britney Spears perfume ads? I sure hope not.




Marrakech ad from 1947; Perot illustrator.



Another Perot ad for Flèches, Tropiques, Marrakech from 1949.



Tropiques, Flèches, and Marrakech fragrance ad c. 1949; Perot illustrator.




Magie ad from 1951. Perot, illustrator.




Magie and Trésor fragrances, hand in hand. Ad from 1946 and drawn by Perot.




Not by Perot, but this 1941 ad for Kypre is charming nonetheless.




And this appears to be a photograph rather than illustration. An armor hand holding a heart (its conquest) is a rather artistic way of selling perfume. Conquête fragrance, c. 1950.