Hobbies And Interests
Lithography Begins
In 1798, Alois Senefelder invented the initial processes for lithography, according to the educators in the Graphic Design department at the University of Houston. Lithography was soon introduced to the world of printing, which served to revolutionize advertising. With each step forward in lithography, such as the ability to work in color, advertising became more sophisticated, an element that can be seen in coffee can lithographs through the decades.
Vacuum-Packed Canned Coffee
According to Ned Rozell, a University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute science writer, the first vacuum-packed canned coffee was put on the market by Hills Bros. As noted by William H. Ukers in his 1922 book ̶0;All About Coffee,̶1; the major coffee sellers in the United States spent well over $3 million in advertising in 1920, making use of the innovations in printing made possible by additional improvements in lithography. You can see those technological advancements by examining the tins and labels of long-standing coffee brands through the decades, such as Hills Bros., Chase & Sanborn, Maxwell House and Folgers.
Informative
The early years of coffee advertising on a broad scale, the sort of mass communication made possible by the coffee can lithograph, tended to focus on an informative approach. Information typically found on coffee cans of that era included instructions for the consumer as to how to prepare the coffee and how to choose quality coffee, as well as the characteristics of the best varieties of coffee. Information addressing the health benefits of coffee consumption and defensive statements against coffee nay-sayers and the list of potential negative effects of coffee also were commonly found on coffee cans during that period.
Selling the Dream
After the informational era of coffee advertising came a different approach to coffee advertising. As lithography developed from the comparatively rudimentary methods of Alois Senefelder, allowing for a much more artistic presentation, many coffee can lithographs present a lifestyle dream, one in which coffee has an integral role. Often, social scenes are pictured on these old lithographs, with lovely hostesses serving coffee to well-dressed guests using fine china. Other scenes feature idealized family scenes, with attractive families and attentive wives and mothers. Some present the exotic, luxurious elements of coffee, promoting a bit of something special in day-to-day living through its product. Many of these lithographs are truly beautiful and remain highly sought-after collectibles.