Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan. It is an advertisement that appeared in The Illustrated London News (ILN) in July 1975.
Given that working from home is increasingly the norm, stumbling across old ads for office equipment that featured in popular publications, such as the ILN, can be an intriguing, even amusing, experience.
Understandably, many of us might look upon the orthodox office as somewhat dated and outmoded. Yet this ad for “Emgee Office Accessories” depicted it as an integral component of capitalist modernity. It was, so Emgee suggested, in workplaces kitted out with “real leather” desk sets, with reception tables boasting “chromium plated steel tubing topped with strong grey tinted or bronze glass”, as well as with a host of mod-cons (telephones, wall clocks accurate “to within 2 minutes a year”, and intercoms), that the vital business of a busy, progressive world was conducted.
Whilst quite a few of us might likewise conceptualise the traditional office as a dreary, drab, uninteresting space (the groundbreaking sitcom written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant proving fairly perceptive and no doubt influential in this respect), Emgee presented it in a rather different light—as a refined, stylish, potentially luxurious environment, one boasting an alluring and distinctive aesthetic characterised by sought-after materials like “teak and sapele mahogany”. Indeed, isn’t it interesting how at one stage coloured plastic was regarded as quintessentially modern? It is also difficult to comprehend the way in which smoking used to be so hard-wired into office culture: once ubiquitous in the workplace, bins with ashtray lids now seem abstract. So too does the thought of conducting business on multiple telephones—do they even make telephone stands these days?!—or of needing a paper shredder . . .
Of course, what is conspicuous and disagreeable about this ad is the way in which it envisions the office in such a blinkered, gendered manner—as the preserve of the “Well Dressed Man”. Suffice to say, this outlook is as obsolete as most of the office equipment that Emgee was flogging.
Yet it is hard to disagree with the company’s assertion that the environment that you work in is important and that the desk-based accessories that you employ can enhance efficiency. Perhaps many of us (myself included) should be more reflective and proactive on this front; let’s be honest, the typical work-from-home set-up can be a fairly minimalist, uninspiring, and probably not very ergonomic affair—most likely a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor or two, alongside maybe a laptop stand and a lamp.
It could be that an ad like Emgee’s grabs our interest due to nostalgia. We are possibly a little envious of the days when office spaces could be more eccentric or high-brow. There was a time, for example, when investing in a ludicrously expensive fountain pen and quality paper seemed viable, even necessary—an era when desk-based working was rather more hands-on and tactile.
Where to find this document
It comes from our primary source collection, The Illustrated London News, 1842–2003. Containing over 250,000 images, this fascinating and visually stunning collection brings together the extensive back catalogue of one of the most influential and successful publications in the history of British print media. Visit the collection page to learn more.