Flipping through old ads

Oh, the utter pleasure of going through old print ads. It's not just about nostalgia, curiosity and amusement but about time-travel - seeing and reading creatives and copies of what a different era was trying to sell, and hoping to buy.

It's also one of the most democratic, realistic dives into learning about micro-history - beyond the history of 'important people and events' and into the granular everyday lives and desires with context and background.

The joy of stumbling on to a different set of aesthetics can be thrilling - and surprising. Going through old advertisements, while flipping through purani magazines and newspapers, can make us laugh, smile, gawk or shake our heads, all at the same time.


These ads show us how advertising has changed over time, how it reflects trends, needs and preferences of our parents and grandparents, shaping, indeed, our culture. Unlike what so many boring history books tell us, these ads still fly off the page - arguably, fly off the page with more magic now that they have been unhinged from their original time and place.