BEEFCAKE SWIMWEAR MODEL JANTZEN SCULPTURE ADVERTISIN (02/21/2011)...

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BEEFCAKE SWIMWEAR MODEL JANTZEN SCULPTURE ADVERTISING

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BEEFCAKE SWIMWEAR MODEL JANTZEN SCULPTURE ADVERTISING

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Sold Date: 02/21/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Advertising

This is a rare piece of beefcake swimwear advertising memorabilia.
Jantzen male model wearing a bathing suit from the 1930's 1940's
In excellent condition.

At right, actor Philip Reed of Warner Brothersmodels Jantzen's late 1930s "Streamlined Trunks." The top haddisappeared, but Reed's chest is curiously lacking nipples.

A Brief History Of Jantzen

John A. Zehntbauer, Carl C. Jantzen and C. R. Zehntbauer founded Portland Knitting Company,
the predecessor of Jantzen Inc, in January 1910 in Portland, Oregon. The company was a small
retail store and knitting operation in downtown Portland. The firm manufactured heavy sweaters,
woolen hosiery and other knit goods, and acted as a retailer of apparel products.

The Zehntbauers and Jantzen were great outdoorsmen and members of the Portland Rowing Club.
In 1913 a fellow club member asked if the company could knit a woolen suit suitable for use while
rowing in the rainy winter weather. The rib-stitched suit proved to be a popular product and its
development marked an important turning point for the young company.

While expansion of production continued during and immediately following World War I, swimwear
sales were still a modest part of the firm’s business. Recognizing the value of a brand name for the
new product, Portland Knitting Company was renamed Jantzen Knitting Mills in June 1918.
As swimwear sales increased markedly in the postwar expansion, Jantzen was a leader in
promotion of its new product. In 1920 billboards showing the company’s suits were featured in
San Francisco and Los Angeles. National advertising began in 1921 with ads illustrating Jantzen
suits placed in Vogue and the old Life magazine.

The cover of the 1920 catalog featured an illustration of a diving woman, clad in a red suit
complete with stockings and cap. Some admirers had cut the “Red Diving Girl” from the catalog
and pasted it on the windshields of their automobiles. This fad spread beyond the West Coast
when Jantzen officials pasted them on windows of a train enroute to a Shriners’ convention in
Washington, D.C. The image was adopted as the logo of the company and became recognizable
worldwide. In 1932 it was reported to be the seventh most known trademark in the world.

As the 1930s began, difficult economic times turned into what became known as the “Great
Depression.” This dismal state continued for most of the decade. All business struggled to stay
afloat and the upturn did not come about until 1939. Production of war material for England and
her allies triggered an economic recovery in the United States.

In moves to diversify from a one product seasonal company, Jantzen resumed the manufacture of
sweaters in 1938. This was followed in 1939 by production of “foundations” as girdles and corsets
were called in that day. And in 1940, Sun Clothes, which we would now call active sportswear,
augmented the company’s line of products.

After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, production for the civilian market
wound down slowly to minimum levels. Supporting the war effort, Jantzen manufactured a variety
of military goods, including sweaters, parachutes, sleeping bags and gas mask carriers. Following
the conclusion of the war in 1945, production of swimwear and other apparel increased to satisfy
the pent-up demand for civilian goods.

In the 1950s additional production and shipping facilities were established in Seneca, South
Carolina to speed distribution of company goods to eastern retailers. Plants in other parts of the
country and Canada produced swimwear and sportswear under the Jantzen label. Reflecting a
broader range of products, the firm name was changed in January 1954 to Jantzen Inc.
In the aftermath of World War II, Jantzen relied more on licensees for production and distribution of
swimwear in internati...