Help me find a print version of a famous ad

November 29, 2008 11:54 AM

Where can I find a high DPI print-quality version of this famous offensive coffee ad?

The Chase and Sanborn ad is regarded as one of the most offensive 1950s ads out there, and a friend that teaches theater and directs plays for the school is wanting to adapt that famous ad for a poster. I was trying to help him track down a print-quality version but the biggest thing I can find online is only 500px or so wide and 72dpi.

Anyone have ideas of where to find something in 300dpi that will work at large 20"x30" sizes? Should I track down the original and scan it myself? Would a library have such things?

posted by mathowie to media & arts (10 comments total)

This guy has it, Magazine Memories. He has 100,000 magazines, full runs of most from the 50's. The trick will be to find which exact magazine it was in. He can probably find it for you.
posted by lee at 1:08 PM on November 29, 2008

Plan59 has super high-res images too. I don't see this exact one, but he has other Chase & Sanborn ads. If nothing else turns up on this thread, I'd email him and see if he has a copy.
posted by barnone at 1:19 PM on November 29, 2008

Think I found it! The linking on this site is a bit weird. Go to Advertising Archives and search for "30523402" - that is the id number of the ad. You can then add it to your cart - not sure if this is for a high-res version or the original paper, which you could then scan.
posted by barnone at 1:53 PM on November 29, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Update: I'm pretty sure you'd be buying the original ad. So if you need this immediately, that won't work.
posted by barnone at 1:55 PM on November 29, 2008

According to this overview, it's in the August 11, 1952 Life Magazine. It's listed as out of stock on that site, but you can buy it on eBay for about $10. They don't list it in the details, and say it might have missing pages (?), so you'd probably have to ask to make sure. Or you can get it here for $14.50 with guaranteed pages.
posted by barnone at 2:06 PM on November 29, 2008

posted by mathowie a friend that teaches theater and directs plays for the school is wanting to adapt that famous ad for a poster

Something like this, perhaps?

The best option would be to scan the original ad, but depending on how your friend is planning to have these posters printed, he might not need to use 300dpi. Let me know if he or she needs Photoshop help.
posted by mattdidthat at 5:20 PM on November 29, 2008 [10 favorites has favorites]

What the final going to be used for? If it's a stage poster, not like people will be able to read the test anyway.

And scan aside, you you'll probably need to take a digital camera of the ad, since they won't let you take it out of the library.

See if jessamyn can get you a scan?
posted by cjorgensen at 7:51 PM on November 29, 2008

Hilarious matt.

Here's my concept for his poster with mock up text around it (it's for a shakespere production set in the Mad Men era of late 50s/early 60s). I basically just need the photo at a usable scale for the rest of the print work around it so a scan of the top half or high quality photo is probably all I need.
posted by mathowie at 1:23 PM on November 30, 2008

Your poster, it is pretty.

I've always wanted to do a Footballers Wive$ version of Othello, meself.
posted by mippy at 2:35 PM on November 30, 2008

Man, is it just me or does that illustration look like a Norman Rockwell?
posted by dinger at 7:20 AM on December 1, 2008