Is the art of magazine illustration dead?

I love illustration. I think it's a shame that advertising these days, in magazines, posters, brochures and pictures in recipe books, usually features photos and not illustrations.

We went to London for the day yesterday and had a little trot round Spitalfields market amongst other things. I managed to pick up a 1967 Woman and Home magazine for just £1.00. Had a quick flick through before I bought it and only saw ads with photos but I love the social history of stuff like this so bought it anyway.

Remember Anne French cleansing lotion in the triangle bottle, or Vetzymes vitamins for pets? Several ads for blankets with silky edges too, must have been a big thing then. Anyway, I digress.

On having a proper look through the magazine this morning, I was pleased to find that even in 1967 the art of illustrated ads was still alive.









I remember Ladybird adverts like this, beautifully illustrated. And you don't tend to find cookery-type ads that include illustrations rather than photos, do you?

The first one here, the Tick-a-Tee ad, is great. How the English language moves on, eh!

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