Vincent's for headache nervous depression muscular pain
Maker
Vincent Chemical Company
(Australian, founded 1919)
Date1950s
Object number00016786
NamePoster
MediumColour lithograph on paper
DimensionsOverall: 494 x 235 mm
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis illustrated poster advertising Vincent's headache medication shows a model wearing a swimsuit made by Jantzen. Swimmers and beach scenes were often used in advertising campaigns during the 1950s. The beach symbolised health and happiness receptive public audience.HistoryIn the 1950s cotton swimsuits and sunsuits were often shaped and textured with shirring, smocking and contrasting panels in order to create a curvaceous and ultra-feminine silhouette that emphasized the bust, waistline and hips.
This was the decade when the swimsuit became a garment for opulent display, with exaggerated angles and curves. Swimwear designers drew on engineering and corsetry technology incorporating internal wiring, padding and elastic panels to achieve a sculptured cantilevered bust over a pinched-in 'wasp' waist. This voluptuous look was championed by film sirens Brigitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, and Marilyn Monroe.SignificanceThe poster is representative of 1950s advertising, and is an important record of the use of swimsuits in the marketing of household products. The swimsuit depicted also reflects women's beachwear fashions of the period.
1928
Schmidt and Co Lithographers