Were you an Aero girl? This is the tantalising question being posed by one of the world's most famous confectioners and yes - they could be looking for you!
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| Photograph courtesy of Visit York |
According to archives of Rowntrees, who were taken over by Nestle in 1988, several sitters were commissioned for oil paintings featured in the company's advertisements for Aero between 1951 and 1957. Chocolate, it seems, was still a luxury at that time and the manufacturers wanted to appeal to a broader range of customers.
These wonderful portraits lined the walls of the Rowntrees offices for many years though, amazingly, no records were kept of these women. Now Alex Hutchinson, archive curator at Nestle, is trying to discover who they were. As most of them will now be in their eighties he's understandably eager to make contact now before it is too late. Think what a wonderful story these women would have to tell, particularly about the social etiquette of a time that is already firmly sealed in history.
Aero first went on sale in 1935, ceasing production during the war, becoming extremely popular again when sweet rationing ceased. And I was one of its biggest fans!As a child in the sixties I remember thinking someone must have spent a great deal of time adding all those bubbles...
This week, until October 20 York is staging The Chocolate Girls - an exhibition of original art work and advertising material used in Terry's and Rowntrees campaigns between 1950 and 1980.
Apparently the display focuses on the link between women and chocolate....Now that's something that really hasn't changed at all.
If you want to know more go to http://www.visityork.org/information/ and find out about the many chocolate events going on in the city right now.
8 comments:
I hope they manage to find these models. Their stories would be a lovely addition to the paintings themselves x
And wouldn't it be wonderful to meet them and hear their stories first hand? I hope I can be first in the queue...
Gosh, how I would love to go to that exhib! And what a novel it would make! And how well I - and my hips - remember those Aeros way back then....:) Fab post, Marilyn!
Please do a follow-up to this post if the ‘girls’ are found – I’m bound to miss it! I was born in 1948 so not quite old enough to be one of the Aero girls, but I do love Aero and chocolate in general! I enjoyed this post. You always have something interesting to talk about.
Thanks for visiting me the other day Marilyn I always look forward to your comment. Barbara.
Me too, Linda - shame that the bubbles weren't really full of thin air! Thanks for coming over to comment. x
Thanks, Barbara - soon I'm going to blog about about a wonderful children's book I found - A Picture Book of Grammar by Y.S.Baume - no date but almost looks hand written. Hope you'll like it...
Knowing how much you like chocolate, it's a good job you have somebody working on the inside!
I wasn't going to mention that my daughter worked for Nestle - now I just have!
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