It’s funny how you can usually date a brochure not just from the vehicle it’s promoting but also from the choice of backdrops and the overall image it’s trying to portray. And this classic item from 1954 is a great example. 

I mean, if you were trying to show off a solid, worthy new British saloon almost sixty years ago, you’d choose a typically British setting, right? And that’s exactly what the boffins at BMC did, parking its newcomer in the garden of an oh-so-English house with roses round the door, a perfectly trimmed lawn and a smartly dressed middle-class family enjoying a perfect summer’s day.

This was, of course, just nine years after the end of WWII, at a time when advertising was full of positive imagery and optimism. This particular leaflet is also a lovely example of early colour, showing how it could be used to maximum effect. Charming, isn’t it?