Posts tagged with "China"



26. April 2025
Original 1929 Chinese calendar poster advertisement for CIBA (Society of Chemical Industry in Basle) in Shanghai, China. From the MOFBA collection.
Novartis is one of world’s largest pharma corporations and was formed in 1996 by the merger of Ciba-Geigy & Sandoz – originally three independent businesses all from the same small town of Basel, which is strategically located in Switzerland on the border to France and Germany. The surprisingly progressive 1929 calendar poster advertisement from our collection was produced for the most successful of these companies in China…
12. April 2025
Chinese Coca-Cola ad commemorating the 1948 7th Chinese National Games in Shanghai. From the MOFBA collection.
Coca-Cola had been available in China since the early 20th century, when bottles were first imported from Coca-Cola’s manufacturing base in the Philippines. The American soft drink was advertised by Shanghai restaurants catering to foreigners, such as Sullivan’s, in as early as 1916. It was only in the 1920s, however that the Coca-Cola Company appointed official retailers and then bottlers in China’s largest treaty ports - the Watson’s Mineral Water Company in Shanghai and the Crystal...
31. March 2025
Original 1920s & 1930s Vaseline Chinese print ads and packaging. From the MOFBA collection.
Vaseline is one of the most recognized brands globally and these artefacts from our collection showcase how over 100 years ago, the famous petroleum jelly already found its way into Chinese households, becoming a trusted name in health and beauty.
14. February 2025
An original, late Qing Dynasty era wrapping paper for cotton yarn by E.D. Sassoon & Co in China. From the MOFBA collection.
This rare, late Qing Dynasty wrapping paper from our collection bears the coat of arms of a family that was once among the wealthiest in the world and shaped China like no other. It tells a story filled with drugs, family feuds, and vast fortunes won and lost…
25. December 2024
Ca. 1920s candy tin by the Ysien Dah Co. from Shanghai, China. From the MOFBA collection.
A charming candy tin from our collection, with a Santa Claus illustration by the Ysien Dah Co. from Shanghai, China. Ca. 1920s.
15. December 2024
This ca. 1920s postcard from our collection shows a food stall somewhere in China or possibly Hong Kong. The advertisement posters on the wall emphasize just how aggressively cigarettes were mass-marketed in old China. At the peak of its activities in China in 1937, the British American Tobacco Company (BAT) manufactured and distributed approximately a stunning 55 billion machine-made cigarettes to Chinese consumers per year.
02. December 2024
Original Chinese early-1930s advertisement sign for J & Baldwin's "BB" Beehive wool brand. From the MOFBA collection.
This gorgeous cardboard advertising sign from our collection recalls the era when Beehive Wools illuminated Shanghai with the world’s second largest neon sign. Amid the turmoil of the war, this iconic installation briefly revived the city's spirit with a glimmer of hope during the darkest of times:
28. October 2024
J.S. Staedtler ca. 1930s Chinese advertising card and original pencils. From the MOFBA collection.
Would you believe that a 362-year-old German manufacturer has been marketing & selling pencils to the Chinese for 100 years? Well, this ca. 1930s advertising card and original pens from our collection tell the story of how that indeed came about…
20. October 2024
Ca. 1937 Chinese Agfa Isochrom film advertisement sign featuring Liang Saizhu. From the MOFBA collection.
This magnificent 1938 advertising sign for Agfa films from our collection, connects several brands, celebrities and stories we’ve previously covered. It is also a reflection of the profound cultural & societal changes that transformed China during this period.
04. August 2024
1930s colorful print advertisement for "The Dollar Brick" by Hazelwood Ice Cream from Shanghai, China. From the MOFBA collection.
A colorful 1930s print advertisement for the Hazelwood "The Dollar Brick" ice cream. More on the Hazelwood brand and its manufacturer Henningsen Produce from Shanghai, China in our previous article here.

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