I’m heading to Atlanta, Georgia this weekend (first time) to celebrate the engagement of dear friends and I’m excited to visit the World of Coca-Cola while I’m there. Why? Growing up I collected Coca-Cola memorabilia and I have always loved the vintage advertisements from the 1940s & 1950s. I’m team Coke!
Over here on the Vintage Inn, I have never done a post on these vintage Coke ads and I thought today would be a good time as I head out on another travel adventure.
Let’s take a look at what I found!
Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase
1940s & 1950s Vintage Coca-Cola Advertisements
Vintage Inn Tip: Looking for vintage fashion & vintage hairstyles inspiration for women or men? Look no further then these vintage ads. They are filled with great real life looks that you can 100% recreate ( I do!).
Planning a party? Coca-Cola is “The drink they all expect”.
1940s vintage advertisement featuring two young people in 1940s fashions at the food and drink table.
Source: Etsy-AmericanCenturyShop
1955 Coke advertisement featuring Mary Alexander, the First African-American Woman to Appear in Coca-Cola Advertising (Source).
Source: cocacolaunlimited.com
Take a look at this GREAT short video featuring Mary telling her story about this advertisement and other interesting facts about her life (video link).
1944 Coke advertisement featuring soldiers waiting to deploy for war.
Text: “All over America, depots are crowded with soldiers, sailors and war workers busy getting a big job done. Across the land, cheerful soda fountains invite you to pause and go your way refreshed with ice-cold Coca-Cola. At home and abroad, Coca-Colas is the high-sign of friendly refreshment for people on the go.
“Our fighting men meetup with Coca-Cola many places overseas, where it’s bottled on the spot. Coca-Cola has been a globe-trotter since way back when”.
Source: Etsy-AmericanCenturyShop
1959 Coca-Cola print advertisement. “Take a Cooks Cruise with Coke! Delight guests with easy-to-fix dishes from abroad..and Coca-Cola, the World-Wide favorite!”
The Vintage Recipes:
- Hawaii: Aloha Casserole (Shrimp & Spinach Casserole)
- Sweden: Smorgasbord Sandwich (Boiled Beef Sandwich)
- Italy: Pizza Italiana (Multi-Topping Pizza)
- Mexico: Chili Con Carne Mexicali (Chili Beans with Corn)
Further Reading: Vintage Recipes from Vintage Advertisements
Source: Etsy-AmericanCenturyShop
Malt Shops and Coke go hand and hand in the 1940s & 1950s as seen in this 1940s advertisement. Illustration by Haddon Sundblom
Further Reading: Vintage Malt Shops Images 1930s-1950s
This 1954 Coke ad is confusing but also cute!
As you can see we have woman in a Dutch traditional outfit serving Coca-Cola to a car, with the tagline “Refreshing service for people on the go”. We also have small text talking about seeing “Eddie Fisher on “Coke Time” NBC Television next week”. Ok!
Source: Etsy-AmericanCenturyShop
1940s vintage advertisement for Coca-Cola with 3 women in 1940s hairstyles and overall uniforms taking a break from their Homefront war work for a refreshing drink.
Source: Pinterest
1954 Coca-Cola advertisement featuring Satchel Paige a famous Major League Pitcher.
Source: GannlineArtRelics
1942 Coca-Cola advertisement – Two women in WWII US Army Nurse Corps uniforms enjoying a coke.
Source: Etsy-WrightSelections
1950s vintage Coca-Cola advertisement featuring an illustration of a woman holding a tennis racket and other illustrations of all the sports you can enjoy coke with.
Further Reading: Vintage Tennis Outfits from the 1920s-1950s
Source: Etsy-RelicEclectic
One of the other activities I’m doing while in Atlanta, is to go to a baseball game. I love baseball and it will be fun to see another teams stadium. Here is a 1948 Coca-Cola ad of men enjoying a Coke during a break in the game.
Source: Etsy-RelicEclectic
Fun at the country fair-1950s vintage ad.
Source: eBay
“Hospitality…So Easy and Welcome”. “On warm summer days, guests like the terrace or the porch. Out of the family refrigerator comes ice-cold Coca-Cola”. 1940s vintage ad.
On a personal note, I LOVE the hair flower in our lovely hostesses hair.
I will leave you with the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus as seen in this 1950s ad (1952).
Did you know? (visit ‘Coca-Cola Company website‘ for the full details on the bullets below)
- Santa Has Been Featured in Coke Ads Since the 1920s
- Coca‑Cola Helped Shape the Image of Santa (in 1931)
- The “New Santa (1931 Santa)” Was Based on a Salesman
- Santa Claus Got a New Friend in 1942 – ‘Sprite Boy’ (an elf)
Source: Etsy-RelicEclectic
From the vibrant and captivating artwork, catchy slogans and to the unmistakable red and white logo, these vintage ads captured the hearts and taste buds of the world. I know I am a big fan and always will be.
Question time: Are you a Coke fan? Please share in the comments section anything fun you wish to share about this topic. I love hearing from my readers.
Further Reading: Vintage Advertising 1920s-1960s (archived blog posts)
Thanks for stopping by!
Liz
Nice collection of ads! I am a Coke fan. I even have a big ol’ Coke machine in the basement, next to my juke box. Neither are operational at the moment. I myself am only semi-operational, come to think of it.
This was fun! I’ve been a fan of Coca-Cola, the soft-drink and the company memorabilia, since childhood.
They need to bring back Sprite! He’s creepy looking, but also really cool. Have fun in Atlanta!
Totally agree about Sprite. And thank you!
Liz