Ad: Underwood Deviled Ham

Underwood Deviled Ham 1906

 Underwood Deviled Ham, ah what memories.  This used to be a treat for lunch when I was a kid, spread on a sandwich it was very tasty stuff.  Over the years and into adulthood I got away from eating it though as it's a rather high fat bit of canned ham paste.  When I found this ad I knew I just had to procure a can and see if it still tasted the way I remembered.  Unfortunately it did not.  Whether by the difference in taste memory that time brings or the slow devolution of old time products into "cost effective" recipes, I found that the taste was just blander than I remember it being.

We still have to laugh at this ad though.  The devil has been a trademark of Underwood since it's inception although you have to wonder about the artist's conception of the devil back then.  Seemingly he was into wearing tights and sporting a natty Guy Fawkes moustache back at the turn of the century.  All in all it's a look that's adept at bringing his minions into gales of laughter rather and striking them into a fearful cower.  I always thought the devil looked something like this though:

The Super Devil lol

Yes a flying bike riding bad-ass with a jar of marmalade that forces you to commit adultery.

This brings me to part of the reason I write this blog.  Aside from finding tidbits of recipes on old ads I like looking at the artwork.  Ad artists have always had to convey a message with their artwork and they have it rather easy today.  Mirroring the decline in social values and morals in general society, art has devolved into "sex sells".  Back then though it was different story altogether, where the artist had to present his product in a way appealing to consumers.  Sometimes the ads themselves were high art, sometimes they were creepy and sometimes... sometimes they conveyed a message altogether separate from the product being sold.  You'll see what I mean in my Friday article.

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