The ad above was published in Life magazine in 1943. It's genuine, one of a series of six that the Cannon Towel Co. placed on the inside back cover of Life during 1943 and 1944.
We subscribed to the magazine at the time, and even as a child of nine and ten, I enjoyed reading Life and looking at the pictures. I must have seen the ad, but I don't remember. Here's a link to another of the ads. Ebay has more. The picture above is the most "graphic" of the ads I've seen.
I read what I could of the description, and the picture shows Pacific Islander boys demonstrating to the GIs how to bathe safely in crocodile-infested waters using nets to keep the crocs out. There you have it. Cannon towels - "Durable for the duration".
Thanks to Lapin for the picture.
THAT´S IT! I often wondered-- I was born in 1943 and we always had Life Magazines at our house--who knew?
ReplyDeleteLeonardo, now we know why.
ReplyDelete"Don't Ask, Don't Tell": Pish-Posh!
ReplyDeleteBrothers in arms in each others arms
Was the only time that I was not afraid
"Tender Comrade", Billy Bragg
...and a fun time was had by all (including the closet sister who drew this illustration).
ReplyDeleteIt's no accident that the seeds of gay lib were sown in the experiences of soldiers serving in WWII. The Veteran's Benevolent Association, a mutual aid society for soldiers given dishonorable discharges for queerness, was the first organization of gay men and women in the USA after WWII.
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell": Pish-Posh!
ReplyDeleteJCF, always was, is now, and ever will be.
Counterlight, when I saw the picture, I thought to myself, "Wow! How gay!" I think you're right about the closet sister who drew the illustration.
I did not know about the Veteran's Benevolent Association. I've learned so much of the history of gays and gay movements from you. You're not just about art.
It was items such as this that provided the meager imagery of my as-yet-unformed sexuality. I am sure every gay teenage male back in the day knew the page numbers of the men's underwear in the current issue of Sears catalogue, even if the ads were airbrushed.
ReplyDeletePaul, meager imagery, indeed.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home. It's good to have you back.
Does anyone else remember the uproar from a good many years ago when it appeared that part of a man's penis was exposed in the Jockey shorts ad in the Sears Catalog?