LIGHT MY FIRE
Many covers sported brilliant original graphics and actual photographs--particularly in the 1960's.
Clever feature covers consisted of artwork on the interiors and even the matches themselves. Just a few
of the gimmicks included embossed breasts, strikers shaped to an oval and mounted on a gal's fanny, and
die cut covers designed to give a partial peek of the display inside. Tact and good taste--the
guardians of modern media--were simply not editorial concerns.
Sex sells. Period! And mid 20th Century match cover advertising was not immune to this marketing mantra.
The pin up art of Moran,
Petty, Vargas,
Elvgren
and lesser masters of the leggy medium was reduced to a
fraction of its original size and printed onto the covers of millions and millions of matchbooks.
Having served its original purpose of adorning calendars and other print media, the artwork found new
life with auto shops, taxi cab companies, night clubs, and other establishments wanting to hawk their
service with a bit of spice.