"“For A Discriminating Clientele: Duncan Phyfe” Packard Motor Car Co." Lot no. 795
By Mead Schaeffer (American- 1898-1980)
1930
33" x 28", Framed 36.5 x 31.5
Oil on Canvas
Signed Lower Right
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Original advertisement for Packard Motor Company, published 1931
Though Packard automobiles ceased production in 1956, their reputation for elegance and fine engineering endures. This is due in part to the quality of the product itself, but also to their remarkably effective advertising campaigns. In their heyday, Packards were renowned for sumptuous style, exquisite craftsmanship, and a premium price tag.
Beginning in the late 1920s, the Packard Motor Company launched an innovative advertising campaign that went beyond simply showcasing a car, but painted a vivid picture of the glamorous lifestyle associated with owning one. Advertisements often paid tribute to renowned visual and performing artists and master craftspeople, or depicted consumers in elegant attire in exotic locales. This strategic approach aimed to emphasize Packard's appeal to a "discriminating clientele." This phrase was crafted to attract a sophisticated and discerning customer base by highlighting the vehicle's luxury and exclusivity.
Every Packard advertisement also featured a powerful slogan designed to inspire further confidence in the product: "Ask the man who owns one." First appearing in 1901, this confident declaration positioned Packard as a clear symbol of status and success. This groundbreaking concept of associating a consumer product with an aspirational lifestyle of wealth and sophistication was revolutionary at the time and set the standard for countless advertising campaigns that followed. (Reference: "Vintage Advertising: Selling Luxury" by Jeff Nilsoon for The Saturday Evening Post online, published November 15, 2016)
Artist Mead Schaeffer, in an interview published in the Autumn 1977 issue of The Packard Cormorant, observed that "People were paying for the status of Packard ownership as much as for the excellence of the cars. It was a challenge to every artist who illustrated for Packard to portray this." Schaeffer himself produced four oil paintings for the "Discriminating Clientele" campaign, exploring themes such as Duncan Phyfe, Spanish Lace, Oriental Rugs, and Russian Ballet. Schaeffer's "Spanish Lace" illustration was not selected for publication; instead, an illustration by Saul Tepper was used. Both Schaeffer’s unpublished proposal and Tepper’s published illustration are part of our gallery’s collection. (Reference: "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Ed Heys for Hemmings.com, updated March 26, 2024)
Mead Schaeffer Evokes the Excellence of Packard Engineering through Duncan Phyfe
A notable Packard advertisement by Mead Schaeffer reinforces this message of discerning taste and quality. It features a couple and a young woman admiring a Duncan Phyfe chair. The man, with a monocle around his neck, holds the glass in his hand, poised to examine the piece of finely crafted furniture more closely. This visual narrative is underscored by the published caption: "Duncan Phyfe’s great genius as designer and master cabinetmaker won him the patronage of all the wealth and aristocracy of old Knickerbocker New York. His superb furniture brought international recognition for artistic and technical excellence." The advertisement draws a parallel between the exquisite craftsmanship of Duncan Phyfe furniture and the superior engineering and design of Packard automobiles, appealing to a clientele that appreciated such distinguished artistry and quality.
Original ad accompanies this piece
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
The work of Mead Schaeffer divides itself into two periods. The early one deals with romantic, swashbuckling and theatrical subjects. The second, although still strong and dramatic, is based on authentic, factual themes and is more reportorial.
Born in Freedom Plains, New York, he studied at Pratt Institute, and got advice from Harvey Dunn and Dean Cornwell. A brilliant student, he was illustrating for major magazines while still in his twenties and had begun a series of sixteen illustrated classics for Dodd, Mead, including The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, Typee and Moby Dick. Eventually, he wanted to deal with contemporary subjects that he could personally observe and learn about.
With this objective, Schaeffer began to paint covers for The Saturday Evening Post, which by 1940 was featuring themes of Americana. The Post’s artists traveled to various parts of the country to find regional material with national appeal. Schaeffer made an extended trip to the West with his friend and fellow-artist Norman Rockwell. From this and other trips, many fine covers resulted.
During World War II, Mead painted a notable series of Post covers of American soldiers representing various branches of the service. The paintings were done with the full approval and cooperation of the United States military authorities, who provided all the facilities. In researching the pictures, Schaeffer rode abroad a submarine, a Coast Guard patrol boat and various aircraft. Later, under the sponsorship of the Post, the paintings were exhibited in more than ninety cities in the United States and Canada in promoting the war effort. They are now part of the permanent collection of the USAA, an association of military officers, former officers and their families, in San Antonio, Texas.
In other exhibitions, Schaeffer won the Salmagundi Club’s Shaw Prize in 1930, and a Gold Medal at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1944.