signs of the times
ROY SIMS COLLECTS VINTAGE
ADVERTISING POSTERS.I started collecting vintage advertising in 1983 – my main passion
is Coca-Cola advertising from the 1910s to the 1950s. When
I first began there was no internet, so the hunt was on. I became
interested in the ads because I liked the artwork, and it’s the most
affordable way to own original art pieces from those times. You
can find copies or reproductions for similar money, but they’re just
copies. I want the real deal, as they have a history.
Long before TV commercials, printed advertising was the only
way to get to the consumer. The ads were rarely the same – if one
appeared in a magazine, it had to be different the next time to capture
the reader. Companies changed their artwork regularly – sometimes
weekly – and all this was done by hand. In the now-famous Mad Men
era of the ’60s, photographic ads became the way to go. Chain-
smoking executives in offices made decisions for us all!At last count I had around 10,000 pieces, including about 1000 stock
items that I have on display at the Camp Hill Antiques Centre in
Brisbane. I also sell original pieces through my eBay store, ad*retro.
Most of the collection is stored flat in acid-free sleeves, which take
up two rooms in several plan cabinets at my house. If I run out of
space, I just build another one! I’ve also custom-made shelves to
hold all the smaller pieces – they’re grouped in vignettes like ‘speed
and power’ (early aviation, gas and oil) and ‘French bistro’ (Evian,
Cinzano vermouth, Dubonnet aperitif and more).
I’m always looking to find rare items. I have an original advert for
the Moulin Rouge in Paris dated 1906, and early light bulb ads
with striking Art Deco design from 1908. One of my favourites is
for Van Heusen shirts – it shows a flapper girl from the 1920s with
stunning art by Rolf Armstrong. I just love the piece, it’s so beautiful.
I’ve never found an Oilzum print ad selling motor oil; they must
exist, but a good one has never surfaced.Finding ads isn’t such a challenge now with so much stuff available
online – the big problem is making sure they’re real, not copies.
Back in the ’80s I’d make trips to markets in France, Amsterdam,
Germany and London to hunt. You had to do the footwork to get a
look at anything back then. Some secondhand stores have the odd
magazine, which is good but becoming rarer, especially in Australia.
In such a hot country, most old paper didn’t survive. It’s hard to find
anything with good illustrations pre-1960.
I love seeing the old-style cut-and-paste artworks that were
originally put together on boards, then hand-painted by artists who
usually weren’t allowed to sign their work. Over the years, I’ve learnt
to spot their artwork when it’s unsigned, and managed to get pieces
to the families of the original artists. It brings them a lot of joy.mantelpiece