THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
THE BEGINNINGS
- Of Bavarian Brewery
ADS - From Newspapers
POSTCARDS, PAMPHLETS & POSTERS
The items in this section are advertisements made of paper or cardboard for the Bavarian Brewing Co. between the late 1800s and the mid-1960s. They are presented chronologically and begin with Postcards and Pamphlets Before Prohibition and then consisted of paper Posters and cardboard Prop-Ups After Prohibition. They are considered to be different than signs, which are often lighted or made of a more durable material like, metal, metal, wood, plastic, glass, etc.
PRE-PROHIBITION (Late 1800s - 1918)
Postcards
c. Early 1900s. Postcards were extremely popular around the beginning of the 20th Century. As people traveled, they would send postcards to their relatives and friends, usually to let them know about their trip. At that time, there was an annual average of several postcards sent for each person in the U.S. As shown below, they were also used to advertise various products, such as beer, and there could be some interesting sayings on the back of postcards as well. Even though the major buildings of the brewery shown in the postcard below appear relatively correct, the lithographer may have taken a little artistic liberty. For instance, what appears to be the Ohio River in the background was actually located about a mile a way in the opposite direction from the brewery. Additionally, the renderings of some buildings on the far sides and in the back may not be entirely accurate. For other similar images of the brewery please see the lithographs used on Stationary.
Pamphlets
c. 1895. A pamphlet, is also known as a leaflet or handbill, have been around for centuries. It can also be referred to as a flier or flyer. However, since the early 20th Century, a flyer can also has become known to usually mean someone who flies typically in an airplane. Less commonly used, it can also mean a trapeze artist. Pamphlets have handed out to promote a product or service especially during gatherings of large number of people. The leaflet below was printed a century ago and both sides are shown. Some interesting and somewhat amusing aspects of this pamphlet it promotes the health benefits and virtues of "pure and good beers," like Riedlin's Select and Bavarian Style beers, to recovering invalids. It also compares beer to liquid bread. On the reverse side of the leaflet, the cost of the beer long ago was mentioned to be $3.50 for 48 small (11.5 oz.) bottles, or just 7.3 cents per bottle. Besides promoting the consumption of quantities of beer that could be delivered direct from the brewery, it is also noteworthy that customers were encouraged to return bottles and cases by receiving a significant credit for both. This reduced the actual cost of the beer considerably. Please click the images for better viewing. The provenance of this item is from the past owners of the Bavarian Brewery and it is now part of the Schott Family Collection at the Behringer - Crawford Museum.
AFTER PROHIBITION (1935 - 1966)
Posters
Posters were made that could be placed in trolley cars, that were sometime simply tacked or taped on a wall and some were also framed and hung.
TROLLY POSTERS c. 1942 - 1945.
These paper posters from Bavarian Brewing Co. promoted the WWII defense efforts. They were likely posted on metal frames contained on street cars below the ceiling and above the windows. These are some early posters after Prohibition when the Schott Brothers acquired the brewer in 1938. Cincinnati had an extensive electric railway system that was dissolved in the mid 1950s. Other brewers also promoted the war efforts not only with posters, but also ads. All the local brewers in Cincinnati would sometimes take out ads together to support defense efforts. (See Ads: Bavarian's 1935 to 1945.) Due to rations imposed in WWII, the production capacity was limited during the war years.
POSTERS - Late 1940s & Early 1950s. The first image below is a colorful paper poster of a dancer entitled "Ripplin Rhythm." The original was done in 1948 by Rolf Armstrong, the famed pin-up artist from the 1930s and 1940s. The poster with a snowman was probably an used on street cars, like the previous posters above. The Schitzelbank poster from 1953 shows most of the usual images and names used in an old German folk and drinking song, which was modified to promote Bavarian's Old Style Beer.
Prop-Up Posters
As compared to a rectangular paper posters, a variation were the cardboard "Prop-Up" posters that had a built-in pull-out stand in the back that allowed them to easily rest on a bar, shelf or flat surface. They could also have an irregular shape and a hook for hanging. A common theme with many of these items is that they often depicted men to associate with Bavarian's "A Man's Beer" slogan. They also could use old-time scenes or subject matter to correspond with the "old" style of Bavarian's Old Style Beer.
BAVARIAN'S OLD STYLE BEER c. 1958.c. Late 1940s - Early 1950s. These cardboard prop-ups all had a similar Bavarian's Old Style banner top and used the slogan "A Man's Beer." This slogan began in 1946 and was used until about 1953 when "...And Hers Too!" was added.
c.Early 1950s. A "Curier & Ives" print was used for the Christmas Greeting poster below, as well as for images of fighters, shown a little further below.
A Series of Pugilist (Fighter) Posters
1954 - 1956. Other "Currier & Ives" prints used by Bavarian, besides the one used above for a Seasons Greeting above, were for various pugilists, or fighters. These were used to help promote their sponsorship of Bavarian's Old Style Beer of "Monday Night Fights," which was televised regionally. An example of one of these posters, which features John Sullivan, is on the side. To view the other posters in this series along with descriptions and explanations, please visit Bavarian's Posters of Pugilists (Fighters).
Prop-Ups:
BAVARIAN'S SELECT BEER c. 1958. After Bavarian changed the design of their label in 1957, they changed their slogan initially to "...brewed nature's way." However, a year later they modified their slogan to "…brewed the old world way" while the Bavarian Girl was an ambassadress for the brewery traveling to Germany - and the "old world." Shortly after Bavarian Brewing Co. merged with International Breweries Inc. (IBI) in 1959 the slogan changed again to "brewed MEL-O-DRY to satisfy."
HOLIDAY PROP-UPS / HANGING. International Breweries Inc. (IBI) c. 1959 - 1966. To promote Bavarian/s Select Beer during the Holidays after Bavarian Brewing Co. merged with IBI, images of snowmen were used. The first image below connected to a pine branch can be hung and the snowman can be rotated, showing its different sides. The image with the phrase The Beer You Can Stay With is from c. 1960. The other item with the slogan "Mel-O-Dry" was used from 1961 until 1964. This slogan was used not just for Bavarian/s, but for IBI's other brands as well. Still, the three flag label design for Bavarian's was retained while the labels for the other beers were mostly standardized.
