The times., 1898-03-06
A LIVING POSTER SCHEME.
Girls Pose as Living Advertisements
for Sweet Charity


IN devising schemes to raise money
for charity or the new church organ or
club library or what not, it is just as
well TO remember that your husbands
and sweethearts will give up their cop
pers all the more cheerfuIly if you give
them something in return. The church
supper. at which they go hungry, for a
quarter. or the ladies fair. at which they
pay three prices for something they
dO.t want are not nearly as attractive
TO those who come or to those who get
them uD as are some other schemes
which have been tested. and which de-
serve 70 be more generally known.
One exhibition known As Living
Posters" netted a society of young la
dies a very handsome profit. They first
made collection Of some of the more
common pictures which cover SO many
Of the advertising pages Of the lead
ing mOnthlies. Many Of these pic
lures are known everywhere. The wom-
an who strikes "A very WinsOme attitude
while she displays her teeth; the young
lady who greets the new morn with an
inquiry as to soap; the stout gentleman
who advertises q breakfast food; the
dapper French cook and his soups and
So on Indefinitely. There are at least
100 advertising pictures or posters that
nine out Of ten persons viii recognize at
sight.
Having made a list of all the pictures
that the young ladies thought available
for their purpose, they addressed a letter
10 the firms whose wares the pictures
advertised, and outlined their scheme to
them.
I'm order 10 raise funds for ............
we propose giving an exhibition" said
the letter to the advertiser. ''in a town
OF 5000 inhabitants which we believe
viii be an excellent advertisement Of
your .....-.-.-.., which YOU advertise so
extensively i'm connection with the post
or which we have clipped from the La
dies Home Journal. and incIose.
"Our plan is 10 take the handsomest
girl in this town and have her pose in
exact imitation Of your poster. She will
be a living picture Of your advertise
ment She viii be seen by at least 00G
of the best citizens Of our town, all Of
whom VIII at once recognize your aG-
vertisement. This will not only be a
novel entertainment but il will be a
very effective advertisement for you.
Now our proposition is this: If we
select your poster for one Of our living
pictures, VIII you contribute so to our
fund. and viii you send us 1000 samples
10 be distributed amOny the spectators? =?
The details Of our scheme viii suggest
themselves. and you can readily see
that II viii give YOU valuable advertise
ing We are addressing a similar letter
10 a number Of other firms whose post
ers are sufficiently known. and our Sc
lectious viii depend on the responses to
these letters
The plan worked much better than was
even expected, and the only mistake was
the contribution asked. One firm said
that they regarded such an advertisement
worth as much as a large page in the
average magazine. Others offered to
supply the ladies with various drdperies
and accessories and all of them treated
the suggestion courteOusly
For number Of the posters a large
frame was erected as a sort Of border 10
the living picture The labor Of getting
up the various tableauX and poses was
not very difficult.
The audience received the various pic
tures with great enthusiasm. The novel
" OF guessing each advertisement. and of
wondering what the next would be
gave the exhibition an element Of ex-
/ element. While the next picture was be-
| ing arranged small boys distributed sam
| pies and printed matter, and this. too.
was received with much favor Every
! body likes 10 get something for nothing
and every person got the equivalent Of
their ticket Of admission in samples. The
next day the papers spoke highly Of the
exhibition and II was repeated to u l~Ee
crowd. The ladies netted the very hand
some sum Of $500 for their labor and had
an their fun besides.
As they used only twelve Of the com
monest posters. it can be seen that the
Geld IS unlimited.