vintage life ads of the day

To end a month of daily vintage ads, two selections from a mid-1950s issue of Life. The first shows how a generation was reared to be corporate shills—we're not sure if there a secret Minute Maid surveillance vehicle sent around the country to check up on happy lemonade sellers who purchased this kit to verify that they were selling Minute Maid and only Minute Maid. Those who substituted another brand were subjected to a lecture on how they betrayed the trust of the company who provided these wonderful decorations and costumes and how it wasn't honest to display Minute Maid's name when selling, say, Jane Parker lemonade.



Also note the attitudes of the era in full effect, as Sister is merely the assistant, seen serving (but not drinking) the pink lemonade. Awww.



At least the product from the lemonade stand looks refreshing. Now I have nothing against serving certain types of soup cold—a bowl of fresh gazpacho is refreshing in the summer, while dessert soups like Hungarian sour cherry add a nice finish to a meal. Cold Campbell's tomato soup with milk and cinnamon sounds less appetizing, though this may be my bias against plain tomato soup showing. Cold condensed cream of mushroom in a glass...okay, who let the Campbell Kid play with the bar shaker (or are their eyes bulging at what the test kitchen is forcing them to pitch)?

Source: Life, June 18, 1956 - JB