Related Pages: Brochures & Pamphlets // Color Chart & Paint Codes
First row, first image Courtesy: Craig Semple / March 27, 2003
First row, second and third images Courtesy: Jeff Miller / June, 2001
First row, fourth image Courtesy: Jeff Miller / November 10, 2015
First row, fifth image Courtesy: Daren Beal / April 28, 2004
Second row Courtesy: Bruce Bristow / December 23, 2002. Bruce owns several Type 220a sedans, so these period advertisements naturally focus on that model.
Third and forth rows Various Mercedes-Benz Ponton advertisements of unknown, anonymous or forgotten sources. Several are from the German magazine Der Spiegel, (various dates in 1955) while others are from France and Belgium. In the early 1960s, when the advertising world began utilizing more photography, an entire industry of commercial artists (people who made their daily bread as illustrators) became displaced. Note that each of these images has a distinct style, depending on the individual artist. The advertisement at the far right end of the row above is an early example of how photography was used to depict the product.
The advertisement at the left end of the bottom row is from a June 8, 1955 Der Spiegel magazine illustrating the Mercedes-Benz Type 180D Ponton sedan with a full compliment of passengers making their way to a social gathering of some sort. The emphasis is on the economies of the diesel passenger car.1 The male figure in the back seat appears to be in the process of lighting a cigarette, thus revealing something interesting about the contemporary culture of the Ponton era. Take some time to examine the other Mercedes-Benz Ponton advertisements and discover what you can learn about 1950s style and culture and try to determine if anything has changed in the last 50 years!
Fifth row, first image Courtesy: Joe Alexander / December 2, 2006
Fifth row, second image 300SL (W194) victory poster / painting by Hans Liska
Fifth row, third image 300SL (W194) victory poster (German) / painting by Hans Liska
Fifth row, fourth image 300SL (W194) victory poster / painting by Hans Liska
Fifth row, fifth image 1960 East African Safari Rallye / November 23, 2008
Fifth row, sixth image 1958 Type 219 220S / November 23, 2008
Fifth row, seventh image Courtesy: Jeff Miller / September 4, 2010 / Appears on the back cover of Motoring Through Europe - a collection of maps and tourist destinations published for the 1950s motorist.
Sixth row, images 1-4 Courtesy: Matias Bombal / July 21, 2012
Sixth row, image 5 Courtesy: Matias Bombal / May 6, 2017
Sixth row, image 6 Courtesy: Matias Bombal / May 13, 2017
Seventh row, images 1, 2, 3 Courtesy: Jeff Miller / June 25, 2014
Seventh row, images 4, 5 Courtesy: Jeff Miller / June 29, 2014
Original cardboard packaging material from the 1950s.
Courtesy: anonymous French donor / May 21, 2013
The following advertisements were originally featured in National Geographic magazine. Courtesy: Ray Ilich's collection.
Type 220S Sedan |
Type 220S Cabriolet |
Type 300SL Roadster |
Type 190SL Roadster |
Type 300d Limousine |
Type 300d Limousine |
Footnotes
1 Daimler-Benz was the first automobile manufacturer to offer a diesel passenger car in 1936 with the Mercedes-Benz Type 260D sedan. Learn more about diesel engines.
