Early 20th Century advertisers were not as restricted by 'facts' as modern advertisers are compelled to be by law today. A case in point is the series of adverts that ran in the pages of Country Life in the first decade of the last century for the Evans Vacuum Cap Co.
A cross between a modified pith helmet and a vacuum cleaner, this tortuous-looking suction device promised a: '...healthy, vigorous growth of hair' for any gentleman fearful of losing their locks. The device’s advertising copy promised: '… used for three of four minutes each day…. it requires only about ten days to get the scalp loose and pliable', which surely should have rung alarm bells, as the poor gentleman utilising this invention must have been left not only short of hair, but also floppy of scalp. It goes on to promise: '…pleasant and exhilarating' sensations when using the headgear, which will provide a: '…healthy glow, and produce a delightful tingling sensation'.
The hand-pumped contraption (see figure three in the above illustration) promised the wearer a permanent growth of lustrous hair within a: ‘reasonable time'. It was, sensibly, caveatted with the disclaimer that: 'if, however, the scalp remains white and lifeless after the Cap is removed, then the case would be a hopeless one, regardless of all the infallible hair restorers advertised.'
The adverts ran throughout 1905-6, then abruptly vanished. One can only presume because one too many men found their case of hereditary hair loss was a 'hopeless one'.
The Country Life Image Archive contains more 150,000 images documenting British culture and heritage, from 1897 to the present day. An additional 50,000 assets from the historic archive are scheduled to be added this year — with completion expected in Summer 2025. To search and purchase images directly from the Image Archive, please register here.
-
What on earth is the person who comes up with Annabel's otherworldly facade displays on? London's most magical Christmas shop displaysPhotographs by Greg Funnell.
-
What trees taught me about perfect planting — Alan TitchmarshSense and patience is key to growing healthy trees, as a certain Mr Mackenzie showed a young Alan Titchmarsh
-
Sweet civilisation: What do you get when you ask architects to compete in a gingerbread competition?The Gingerbread City is back in London’s Kings Cross. Lotte Brundle pays it a visit.
-
Sophia Money-Coutts: A snob's guide to meeting your in-laws for the first timeThere's little more daunting than meeting your (future) in-laws for the first time. Here's how to make the right kind of impression.
-
This machine is what happens when the Rolls-Royce of motorbikes and the most innovative of watchmakers join forcesBrough Superior and Richard Mille, two brands renowned for perfection, have created something that is exactly that.
-
‘Each one is different depending on what mood I’m in, how I'm feeling and how my energy is’ — meet the carver behind Westminster Hall's angel statuesBespoke woodcarver William Barsley makes unique scale replicas of the angels that gaze over Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace of Westminster.
-
What is everyone talking about this week: Thanks to modern-day technology, people were far happier in the days when Nero was setting Rome ablazeWas the ancient world's superior happiness down to its ‘superior production of art’?
-
A slick looking off-roader that's a far cry from its rustic rural roots — Volvo EX30 Cross CountryThe latest iteration of Volvo's Cross Country is flashy, fast and stylish. But is that what a Volvo Cross Country is supposed to be?
-
‘I cannot bring myself to believe that Emily Brontë would be turning over in her grave at the idea of Jacob Elordi tightening breathless Barbie’s corset’: In defence of radical adaptationsA trailer for the upcoming adaptation of 'Wuthering Heights' has left half of Britain clutching their pearls. What's the fuss, questions Laura Kay, who argues in defence of radical adaptations of classic literature.
-
Mark Gatiss: ‘BBC Two turned down The League of Gentlemen six times’The actor and writer tells Lotte Brundle about his latest Christmas ghost story, discovering Benedict Cumberbatch — and his consuming passions.
