Look Back 1934
Sometimes change is slow and methodical and then other times things change in an instant. New styles, popular celebrities, popular bands and singers emerge and fade away every year, but do we see it?
I have been thinking of that as I view hundreds of items from the last 100 years and also how do I preserve or keep a reference of this information? One thing I have learned is that I can not save everything, I can not sell everything, but I can preserve the images and interesting findings of things I discover.
So I have created Look Back 1934 to store interesting ads, note and highlights of 1934.
Each Look Back page will contain unique content that will grow over time, with one goal to try and showcase the esthetic, style and interest of that year.
Here is a Look Back 1934.
Top Movie – Cecil B. DeMille’s Cleopatra
1934 Automobiles
Chevrolet Master 6 Car Line-up for 1934 – Now You Choose the Model
Chevrolet offered a wide assortment of the Master Six car line-up from sedan to coupe to the roadster model they really did have something for everyone. Discover more 1930s Chevrolet advertising items and 1934 Chevrolet car parts for sale.
The Ford V-8 Coupe model would later on become a favorite of 50s hot rodders.
This 1934 V-8 Ford Coupe focused on power and a smooth ride. The style of this Ford struck a cord with buyers and you can still find 34 Fords in their original design and also as street hot rods. Discover more 1934 Ford advertisements and items relating to the 34 World’s Fair in Chicago.
This Lincoln print ad showcases that prestige still existed in the depression, and that Lincoln was the car for you if you had a driver.
1934 Food & Beverage
Few companies are as iconic as Coca-Cola and their ads are often treasured and collectible. This is such a classic vintage Coca-Cola advertising from the 1930s. They have the iconic Coke glass bottles, they are so happy, wooden tennis rackets (my parents still have these), the guy is wearing a leisurely ascot, and the shorts are all high waisted. What a gem of a Coca-Cola ad.
Stick with exercise and you’ll have a slim figure. I guess staying shape never goes out of style, but kind of ironic that Coca-Cola is supporting this idea. (It’s not Gatorade!) One unique thing about this and the Christmas Coke ad below is that they show so many aspects of this ad – Riding bicycles, soda jerk, a fresh made Coca-Cola and the price 5 cents!
Love vintage Coca-Cola advertising? Then check out these 1930s Coca-Cola prints ads, signs and collectibles.
You can’t include Coca-Cola ads and not have a Santa one. Coca-Cola helped define the modern image of Santa through it’s seasonal print ads. Check out 1930s Santa Coca-Cola print ads for sale.
Check out the types of Campbell’s Soup in 1934
Bean, Chicken and Tomato are pretty standard, but it is interesting to see Mock Turtle, Mulligatawny (a curry soup often made with chicken), Mutton, Ox Tail, Pepper Pot and Printanier (made of tender fresh vegetables) soups in the mix of their 21 varieties.
1934 Toys
Buck Rogers comic was just a few years old and the first Buck Rogers toys came out in 1933. There was a raygun, Marx metal toys, and this Buck Rogers XZ-31 Pistol Space Gun by Daisy that came out in 1934. Check out more Buck Rogers space toys from the 1930s.
Shirley Temple started her acting career in 1931, at age 3. She big breakout was in 1933 with the film Bright Eyes. Then just in time for Christmas 1934 the Shirley Temple doll hit store shelves and became the must have Christmas gift for little girls. You can still find Shirley Temple dolls on eBay, and some are still in excellent shape.
1934 Electronics
It is hard to imagine a time without television being the center piece of entertainment in the home, but in the 1930s a radio was your connection to the world and in the evenings families would gather around to listen to entertaining shows, mysteries and informative broadcast. This RCA Victor Radios started at $18.75 and went all the way up to $225 for a magic Brain Radio!
While $18.75 does not seem like a lot today, adjusted for inflation that would be over $400 today and the $225 radio would be almost $5,000! Yes, $5,000 for a radio. That is how prestigious high end radios were.
Taking pictures and home movies gained steam in the 1930s as advances helped reduce costs and more people could enjoy owning their own camera and movie camera. This add features the idea that even those little memories, like little Johnny playing football, is worth recording.
Until I saw this print ad, I never thought about when batteries came out. So I did some research and learned the dry cell batteries came out in the 1890s. I found this ad to be unique as it includes a real life example of having a flashlight with Eveready batteries.
1934 Fashion
Well I don’t have a lot of fashion photos yet but I do have a shoe advertisement that gives you an idea of what a mid to higher end men’s shoe would cost in 1934.
Florsheim shoes and this style has stood the test of time. The $8.75 shoes would run about $200 today. However since manufacturing has gotten more efficient, you can get a Florsheim pair of shoes like this style for $80-$120.
1934 General Interest Items
It is kind of wild to see the 1934 Warner Bros – First National Pictures movie studio lot in Burbank, California. At this time they had 7 large sound studios and a wide variety of backlot outdoor stages that featured western towns, a curved small town street, New York City, , waterfront communities, and International locations. Within 5-15 years, about a third of the outdoor lot would be converted into enclosed sound stages.
As travel became more popular, themed exteriors of restaurants and shops grew in popularity in the 1930s as a way to attract attention. This one was in Los Angeles.
Article includes some links where we may earn revenue if a related item is purchased.
Thank you for checking out Look Back 1934.
It was fun showcasing Chevrolet, Ford, Coca-Cola, Buck Rogers and other items and advertising related to 1934. As we find new items and commentary we will add to this page.
