18 de junio de 2012

Fraulein an die Schreibmaschine

Some typewriter ads for Hermes, Switzerland, 1940s and 1950s (source for all: DU, Schweizerisches Monatsmagazin). Still the time of the "Frauleins":
DU 1948-09 Hermes Baby typewriter ad
September 1948: Fraulein on Hermes Baby "At home, for travel, for the holidays"
Du 1949-01 Hermes 2000
January 1949: business on Hermes 2000 "easy, quiet, nice font"
DU 1949-10 Hermes 2000
October 1949: Fraulein yet again on Hermes 2000, "with ease, quiet, and beautiful"
Du 1950-03 Hermes 2000
March 1950: She hasn't even changed her blouse and skirt from the last picture! Office work must have been so much fun back then.
Du 1952-08 Hermes Baby
August 1952: different atmosphere from the previous pictures. A very business-like Fraulein reading the correspondence from her Hermes Baby. Or on the contrary, is she the boss, and her secretary has already left?
DU 1953-04 Hermes Ambassador ad
April 1953: Back to secretary work on the new Hermes Ambassador. Note the detail: a shorthand writing pad could be placed perfectly in front for transcription, which was a special feature of the Ambassador line. Above: wife handing her husband the Hermes Baby just minutes before the train leaves; a Swiss army officer typing his report on a Hermes-Media, then official typewriter of the Swiss armed forces; and "scientists, merchants, business-men" on the Hermes 2000.
DU 1955-04 Hermes typewriter ad
April 1955: business break and fresh air with Hermes Baby
Du 1959-07 Hermes Baby
July 1959: Hermes Baby, Madame and two fox terriers, an idyllic picture set in the private sphere, with Hermes Baby in the centre.

7 comentarios:

  1. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this. Those ads are a whole lotta fun.

    ResponderBorrar
  2. Very charming. Did Swiss women really wear big bows in their hair in 1948?

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. I am not sure about the bows. What I realized though is that in the first three pictures, the women appear to be standing rather than sitting.

      Borrar
    2. Great ads, Georg! Although I am fairly sure the women are sitting on narrow stools - at least in the first picture, I think that pose would be just about impossible to hold while standing.

      Borrar
  3. Very interesting. I like the ad with the business-like fraulein.

    ResponderBorrar