The Spirit of His Forefathers

The Spirit of His Forefathers


One of the earliest surviving British adverts

There's some dram-antic stuff in this 30-second commercial from the dawn of cinema history. Dewar's had used the idea of a laird's ancestors being lured down from their painted portraits to share a whisky in a variety of advertising media before moving image came along. This version is the second surviving example on film, with an earlier American production of the same concept made by the International Film Company in 1897.

This British production made a late reappearance as part of a 1977 television commercial for Dewar's under the title The Whisky of His Ancestors to promote their advertising heritage.


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Pioneers of Screen Advertising

Almost from the dawn of film, advertising was a part of the filmgoing experience. This collection showcases some of screen advertising's earliest steps, as companies learnt to mimic the evolving forms of film comedy, drama, documentary and animation with the careful addition of their product as co-star.
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16 videos in this collection

One of the earliest surviving British adverts
1

The Spirit of His Forefathers

A gentleman cyclist learns the error of his ways in one of the earliest surviving British film advertisements.
2

Rudge-Whitworth - Britain's Best Bicycle

3

Girls Packing Soap

4

Changing Hues

5

Trojan Car Advert

6

Mr.........Goes Motoring

7

Cinema Commercial - Candy Cushions

8

The Tale of the Amp-lion

9

The Boy Who Wanted to Make Pictures

10

Looking Ahead

11

Does Your Wife Know?

12

Ransomes Trolley Buses

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Barbara's Secret

14

Transporting Loads - With or without Roads

15

Sound Advice

16

The Economist

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