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Page 22          The Antique Shoppe            March, 2018
                                         GUINNESS ADVERTISING POSTERS


                                            See what buying “one or Toucan” do for you

                                                                      By Larry LeMasters
                                                              LeMasters’ Antique News Service

           In 2013, Glenn  Kaufmann  (An                                                                               to  Catholics  but  it  did  everything  it
        American  in  Dublin)  attempted  to                                                                           could to avoid employing them until
        answer  a  “what  came  first—the                                                                              the  1960s.”  Apparently  Catholics
        chicken or the egg” type question—                                                                             were not even allowed to marry into
        “Why  the  Irish  drink.”  While  his                                                                          the Guinness family.
        answers seem  philosophical  at  best,                                                                           Still,  as  the  years  passed,  despite
        he  succinctly  points  out  “The  world                                                                       the  brewery’s  early  refusal  to
        knows Ireland as a country of pubs,                                                                            either advertise or offer its beer at a
        and happy, hard drinking folk.  That’s                                                                         discount, sales increased. By the 20th
        the  world’s  impression,  and  it’s  not                                                                      century,  though,  facing  falling  sales,
        entirely undeserved.”                                                                                          Guinness  advertised  in  every  media
           Kaufmann  adds  that  the  first  pub                                                                       form  imaginable,  including  posters,
        in  Ireland  dates  to  1198,  and  Irish                                                                      beer mats, television, and magazines.
        whiskey  dates  to  the  1400s.  “There                                                                        However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that
        is also evidence to suggest that beer                                                                          its  advertising  posters  became  such
        has been around in Ireland since the                                                                           grand works of art that, today, are still
        Bronze  or  early  Iron Ages.  It’s  also                                                                      highly sought after collectibles.
        known  that  early  monasteries  had                                                                             Beginning  in  the  late  1930s  and
                                                 ↑ “Lovely day for
        very active breweries.”                 a Guinness” by Tom                                ↑ This poster, by John   continuing into the ‘50s, S.H. Benson
                                                                                                   Gilroy, was offered
           Over  the  years  there  have  been   Eckersley, circa 1953.  This                      on eBay for $5,000.    created memorable Guinness posters.
        many Irish breweries, with some       poster is valued at $1,725.                           Perhaps it should   One series  of  posters, from  roughly
        outstanding  beer  coming  from  some                                                      be mentioned in the   1953-1957,  featured  the  artwork
        of them. One brewery, Guinness, not   When an ostrich steals your                        Guinness Book of World   of  John  Gilroy,  English  artist  and
        only  has some  great  tasting beer,  it   glass of Guinness,                                  Records.        illustrator,  and  other  artists.    Catch
        has some of the most collectible beer   what can you do?  This                                                 phrases  such  as  “My  Goodness  My
        advertising posters of the 1950s.       John Gilroy poster is                                                  Guinness”  and  “Guinness  is  Good
           Arthur   Guinness   founded   a      valued at $1,700 →                                                     for You” along with colorful Gilroy
        brewery  at  the  unused  St.  James’s                                                                         paintings of ostrich, lion, kangaroo,
        Gate  Brewery  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  in                                                                       and toucan sparked the imaginations
        1759.  Guinness  famously  produced                                                                            of drinkers and non-drinkers alike.
        only  three  variations  of  beer:  porter                                                                       One  poster,  “Lovely  Day  for
        or single stout, double or extra stout,                                                                        a  Guinness,”  depicts  a  gardener
        and  a  foreign  stout  that  was  brewed                                                                      trimming  a  hedge  into  topiary—a
        for export.                                                                                                    seal balancing a cup of Guinness
           By  1868  Guinness  produced                                                                                beer. This painting by Tom Eckersley,
        350,000 barrels and increased sales to                                                                         one  of  England’s  foremost  graphic
        779,000 barrels by 1876. And in 1886,                                                                          designers,  perfectly  captures  the
        1,138,000 barrels of beer were sold.                                                                           whimsy of Guinness posters and helps
           A couple  of interesting  facts                                                                             explains collectors’ interests in them.
        about  Guinness  Breweries:  First,  on                                                                          These  iconic  posters  pushed
        November 10, 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver,                                                                            Guinness  to  become  the  best-
        the  managing  director  of  Guinness                                                                          known  beer  worldwide  (that  fact  is
        Breweries, first visualized a book that                                                                        probably  documented  in  its  book),
        could settle arguments about records                                                                           and  “Guinness  is  good  for  you”
        that were debated nightly in pubs in                                                                           became a household jingle that is still
        Ireland.  The  argument  he  initially                                                                         remembered today, some 70–80 years
                                              ↑ My Goodness, it’s the
        wanted  to  settle  was  which  game   gators Guinness is how this                        ↑ A poster asking what   after it was written.
                                                                                                  “one or Toucan do” for
        bird flew fastest, the golden plover or   Gilroy poster should read.                       you?  Toucans know    Guinness collectors  know three
        the  red  grouse.    From  this  founding                                                 how to party and this is   things about these posters: First, 1953
        argument, the Guinness Book of                                                            a relatively inexpensive   was  a  very  good  year  for  Guinness
        World  Records  was  born,  and  the   Another “My Goodness                              poster, circa 1957, that is   posters. Second, they all measure 20
        golden plover was documented as the   – My Guinness” poster,                              valued at only $1,500.  inches by 30 inches, so they display
                                               circa 1953.  This poster
        faster bird.                         has to make one wonder if                                                 beautifully. Third, they are expensive.
           Another  interesting  tidbit  about   zookeepers in Ireland are                                             On  eBay,  they  are  routinely  offered
        Guinness, which  might  make  some    allowed to drink Guinness                                                for  $1,500  each  or  more,  and,
        people  need  a  drink,  is  that  if  a   on the job? →                                                       occasionally,  one  is  offered  for
        Guinness  brewer  wished  to  marry                                                                            $5,000, making one chug a Guinness
        a  Catholic  girl,  before  1939,  his                                                                         or Tou before placing a bid.
        resignation  from  the  company  was
        required.  Of  this  practice,  the  Irish
        Independent  once  wrote,  “Guinness
        had  no  qualms  about  selling  drink
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