Voices from the Past: Hardy's Country-Specific Ads (1903-04)

The following two ads are shown to illustrate an interesting advertising technique from The House of Hardy, the legendary British tackle makers. The first is from the 1903 book The Mighty Mahseer, and Other Fish: Or, Hints to Beginners on Indian Fishing by Cecil Lang.





To show how much Hardy's hoped to capture the global market, here's another version of the ad run the next year in James Dowell's Norwegian Anglings and Other Sportings:





Note they are virtually identical ad, save for the country designation. Hardy's was nothing if not thorough!


-- Dr. Todd