Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
54 | OCTOBER 28 • 2021
Ads as a Perspective
on Our Past
I
t is time again for a Looking Back that
looks back at a few historical adver-
tisements from the William Davidson
Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History.
As I cruise through the Archive every
week, I see hundreds of ads in the Detroit
Jewish Chronicle and the JN. I select the best
and save them for future
columns.
I must admit, I just love
the old ads. However, as
I’ve stated before, I also
consider them to be reveal-
ing windows into our past
that speak of the trends
and events that affected
American society.
Advertisements during WWII (1939-
1945) prove my point. For example, con-
sider the ad announcing “Ben Pupko’s
Big Freeze” in the May 1, 1942, issue of
the Chronicle. It begins by stating that
Ben’s prices have already been “frozen
much below the levels that the O.P.A.
wants maintained …” The O.P.A. is an
acronym for the federal Office of Price
Administration. Established in 1941, this
agency was responsible for controlling
prices of all goods but agricultural prod-
ucts and rationing of key commodities
such as meat, coffee and sugar as well as
tires and gasoline.
The advertisement for curtains also
noted that Pupko always had a “warm-
spot in his heart for low prices.” Moreover,
since he started his business in 1939, he
had waged a “little private war of his own
against high prices.” I’m glad Pupko was
on our side!
There were other interesting ads from
the WWII era. In the Aug. 28, 1945, JN,
shortly after Japan surrendered, the Grand
River Chevrolet Co. ran an ad declaring
“Sorry, We Have No New Autos for Sale
Now.” It would appear to be a weird ad
for a car dealership, but not when one
considers that all of America’s automobile
companies had shifted to war production
and had yet to resume making cars for the
private market. However, this dealer would
make your old car as good as new.
Two beer ads from the era also caught
my eye. Before the recent wave of lite-
beers, E&B from Detroit said “Eat, Drink
and Don’t Worry” (March 27, 1942). A
few years later, Schmidt’s Beer adver-
tised that its beverage was “dietetically
non-fattening” (Feb. 20, 1948). The
fine print in both ads noted that their
low-calorie claims were relative to other
“foods on your table.”
One of my favorites was for the “Miracle
Working, Scientific Discovery” that is
“Swerl Soap: The Magic Suds” (Jan. 1,
1948, JN). Folks, this soap could do it all
— “dishes shine without wiping,” “renews
the beauty of fine fabrics” and “bubble
bath with no soap ring.” So, the lesson is:
whether washing dishes, clothes or the
kids, use Swerl. And, it was kosher to boot!
An ad showing two tykes staring at the
screen in the Sept. 22, 1972, JN
asked: “Do Your Children
Get Their Thrills From
TV?” If you would like
them to read more, then the
Dorothy S. Orent Reading
Center could help. Replace
the TV in the ad with an iPad
or Tablet, and the quest for
better reading for children
might still be relevant nearly
50 years later.
I’ll close with a very import-
ant advertisement from Sept.
21, 1984: “The Jewish News is
Your Window to the World.”
It still is.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.
org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
considers that all of America’s automobile
companies had shifted to war production
and had yet to resume making cars for the
private market. However, this dealer would
Two beer ads from the era also caught
my eye. Before the recent wave of lite-
beers, E&B from Detroit said “Eat, Drink
and Don’t Worry” (March 27, 1942). A
tised that its beverage was “dietetically
fine print in both ads noted that their
low-calorie claims were relative to other
One of my favorites was for the “Miracle
Working, Scientific Discovery” that is
An ad showing two tykes staring at the
screen in the Sept. 22, 1972, JN
them to read more, then the
the TV in the ad with an iPad
might still be relevant nearly
I’ll close with a very import-
ant advertisement from Sept.
is
Your Window to the World.”