Easter eggs in advertisement illustrations

Fortunato Depero, Unica

Here is a selection of illustrated posters and postcards from the last century, advertising Easter eggs made by Italian confectionary companies. Some of these brands are still famous and in business, others were small manufacturers that have since disappeared (Talmone, Zàini, Perugina, Dulciora, Ivlas, Unica, Salvi). The illustrations themselves were created by great artists of the 1900s like Depero, Dudovich, Sepo or Boccasile.

Allow us to comment these images of beauty with an excerpt from a humorous story by Achille Campanile (1899-1977) (translated from “In campagna è un’altra cosa”, Rizzoli, Milan 1999):

“Article One: ‘Abolish Easter eggs!’ – I have never found a single person who likes them and says ‘Praise the Lord! It’s Easter week and I hope to receive an egg!’ Instead, everyone says ‘How boring! I have to buy Easter eggs for so many people!’”

“Article Two: ‘The mystery of the abovementioned’. – Pastry shops are full of eggs in the days leading to Easter: deluxe eggs for rich people, little eggs that anyone can afford, small sugar eggs for poor people and giant ones that weigh a ton for billionaires with an incredible sweet tooth. After a few days, these eggs – made by confectioners once a year, without much of a cluck – disappear. Where are the privileged who have received them?”

“Article Three: ‘How it goes, presumably’. – It must obviously be people who don’t go out much; perhaps glutton misanthropes who greedily keep their gift a secret for fear of having to share. I can almost see them, these hateful people, locked up at home all Easter week, receiving their eggs. They hear the doorbell. Someone delivers a lucky package. ‘What is it?’, their family asks. ‘Nothing, nothing’. And they selfishly go to their room and devour the present without anybody knowing. Yes, that must be what all these horrible individuals do. I hope they choke.”