Cold War Vintage Ads

The Red Menace: fascinating vintage ads from the times of Communism and the Cold War.

A Scot Tissue Towels ad. (Photo)

A 1950’s propaganda ad from Radio Free Europe, printed at Better Homes and Gardens magazine. (Photo)

“Communism and Christianity”, a 1955 ad from Canadair. (Photo)

A Republic Steel ad from 1951. (Photo)

A 1949 ad for Douglas Aircraft Company. (Photo)

U.S. Savings Bonds ad from 1962. (Photo)

This is one of the great print ads from Expo 1967 marketing blitz. Printed in American magazines, it played off the major theme ofthe cold war , USA vs Russia, taunting the American audience to get to the Expo and check in on the Russian building project. A little dark but extremely witty and smart. (Photo)

A Western Electric ad from 1951. (Photo)

Compare two boys working under the shadow of a) Lincoln and b) Lenin, says this Young & Rubicam 1959 ad. (Photo)

A 1961 Radio Free Europe ad. (Photo)

Another Radio Free Europe ad from the sixties. (Photo)

This 1956 advert from Canada exhorts the young men of that nation to get off their behinds and go train to become better athletes than their communist counterparts. The fact that sporting excellence is good propaganda for any nation failed to encourage the Canadian government to sponsor its athletes as communist countries had done. (Photo)

Another Canadair from 1955 about Communism and education. (Photo)

“How to Survive an Atomic Bomb”, a 1951 ad by the Mutual of Omaha, an insurance company. (Photo)

A 1951 ad by the American Railway Car Institute. (Photo)