Aesop's Fables  >  Aesop's Artifacts >...> Merrill Lynch  >  Merrill Lynch Advertisements 1950's

Merrill Lynch Advertisements 1950's

In the 1950's Merrill Lynch did a set of one-column black and white advertisements telling fables, attributing them to Aesop, offering for each an illustration, an application of the fable to investing, and an offer of help in answer to inquiries.  The artist signs himself as Van Scheiber or Schierber or something similar.  My copies all come from 237 studio on Ebay for $6 to $10.  The first came to me in 2006 and the others in 2024.  That is perseverance on the part of both of us!

1955.  The point drawn is not far from that of the fable this time.  People walk away from investing because they cannot raise the necessary money, as the fox walked away from the grapes he could not reach.  Merrill Lynch has a program that allows you to save up a little bit at a time.  Do not go away!  Start saving now!  50 cents a day will do it!  There may be a helpful cultural tip in this advertisement.  It starts “Nearly everybody knows this one….”  Could we say that now 65 years later?

1959.  The point drawn is that of the traditional fable.  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, as the nightingale tells the farmer -- after the farmer has released him to reveal a priceless truth.

 

Once again the advertisement honors the fable's lesson well.  Each of the three men sees the city in his own terms.  Such a confined view will always be dangerous in life!

Since one man's meat is another man's poison, each of us should consult Merrill Lynch about how to invest our money.  Here the artist signs his work.  Is that Van Schreiber?

The application here, perhaps a bit stretched, is that a good investment may reach its term.  Greedy hangers-on end up losing everything.

<p">Here there are three parts to the illustration.  The story is told as I like to tell it, about daydreaming and a dress.  "Keep your mind on your business and don't go day dreaming about profits -- especially paper ones…. What's the best source for that kind of information and guidance?  Your broker, of course."

The advertisement understands the fable well as about quality versus quantity.  These ads generally direct an inquisitive potential client to the same person, Walter Scholl.  Did Walter get a lot of mail?

Danger comes from the direction you least expect it.  Now Walter is in Department S-32.  In another ad, he was in S-44.  I hope all those inquiries found him!