Turn-of-the-century Navy readers of the Proceedings likely encountered examples of early Madison Avenue advertising that, even today, retain a charm which can be appreciated by latter-day observers who might question the merits of an ordnance bargain like the Hotchkiss Gatling-type revolving cannon or a patented boiler grate-shaker.
For, the same members of the “now generation” Navy who might chuckle over ads extolling the virtues of a guaranteed rust-prevention compound or a brass bed or a high, stiff shirt collar must also marvel wistfully over the bygone days when millions of acres of Oklahoma land were advertised for “free homes and farms,” and the nation complacently accepted as routine the low price of well-aged Maryland rye whiskey and ten-cent cigars imported from pre-Castro Cuba.
In this sense, any recounting of the yesteryears of the Naval Institute and its Proceedings becomes a mirror of the times, a many-sided image of which one facet, advertising, is usually overlooked for its interesting, if somewhat kaleidoscopic picture of the progress and promise of the period.
The first Proceedings advertisement (the Edson pressure-recording gauge) appeared in 1899, and thereafter, in steadily increasing numbers, variety and quality, the ads presented a surprising array of foodstuffs, equipment and enterprises that reflect both the niceties and necessities of the day. The fact that some of the wares may seem almost laughably old-fashioned simply suggests that the picture itself changes, and for the thoughtful reader, there is the implicit reminder that neither the transistor nor the tranquilizer is likely to alter that reality.
For that reason, the following casual selection of Proceedings advertisements, culled from the many thousands published during the preceding century, is offered as an over-the-shoulder glance at some of the pages of the past.