Enter The Strange World Of Vintage Lingerie Ads

    Women playing giant chess in bras, tulip women, a woman dragged by her hair by a caveman — 20 ads from the pre-Mad Men 1940s-1950s.

    copyranter
    by copyranter

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Warners

    1950s.

    Obvious cringeworthy sexism aside, shouldn't the caveman be barefooted? What is he, a Roman caveman?

    2. Warners

    1950s.

    A plate of donuts and my records and my girdle.

    That's all I need.

    3. Warners

    1950s.

    That appears to be a copy of the Bible they are holding.

    4. Warners

    Headline: Turn A Bold Shoulder To Summer.

    Very conceptual for the 1950s.

    5. Warners

    1949.

    Workout wear has come a long way.

    6. Formfit

    The 1940s Formfit Life Bras campaign featured mutantly-proportioned minxes, and not-at-all dirty (BOO!) limericks.

    7. Formfit

    1940s.

    8.

    1940s.

    9.

    1940s.

    Little Boy Blue is missing the chance for a real life dream.

    10.

    1940s.

    11.

    Peter was a douchebag.

    12. PermaLift girdles

    1950s.

    A Venus statue with a partially-eaten apple sitting on its head.

    I have no idea.

    13. Jantzen

    1950.

    Much like their famous swimwear ads, Jantzen's girdle ads were considered quite racy for the time period.

    14. Jantzen

    During World War II.

    Rear Guard, yuckity yuck.

    15. Jantzen.

    1949.

    The mutant Tulip Women ate their husbands.

    16. Jantzen

    1950.

    17. Jantzen

    1950s.

    18. Maidenform

    1950s.

    The classic "I dreamed I was..." Maidenform campaign ran for more than a decade into the 1960s. This is the most bizarre ad from the series.

    19. Maidenform

    1950s.

    My, what a big King.

    20. Maidenform

    1950s.

    Whoa, hello handcuffs.

    Most of these ads are via the Vintage King of Flickr — Captain Geoffrey Spaulding. He has collected over 32,000 images. It's a special place to get lost in time.