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

The Spirit of His Forefathers

  • 1900
A gentleman cyclist learns the error of his ways in one of the earliest surviving British film advertisements.

Rudge-Whitworth - Britain's Best Bicycle

  • 1902

Girls Packing Soap

  • 1898

Changing Hues

  • 1922

Trojan Car Advert

  • York
  • 1926

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

  • 1925

Cinema Commercial - Candy Cushions

  • 1920

The Tale of the Amp-lion

  • 1925

The Boy Who Wanted to Make Pictures

  • 1924

Looking Ahead

  • 1930

Does Your Wife Know?

  • Kingston Upon Thames
  • 1930

Ransomes Trolley Buses

  • Maidstone
  • 1929

Barbara's Secret

  • Devon
  • 1923

Transporting Loads - With or without Roads

  • 1920

Sound Advice

  • 1931

The Economist

  • 1921
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