George Wrangell
Baron George Wrangell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wrangell's first appearance as The Man in the Hathaway Shirt, 1951 | |
| Born | September 1, 1903 |
| Died | June 8, 1969 New York City, US |
| Occupation | Advertising model |
| Family | Wrangel family |
Baron George Wrangell (September 1, 1903, Russian Empire - June 8, 1969, New York City) was a Russian-American advertising model, noted as originating the role of "The Man in the Hathaway Shirt" in a long-running advertising campaign, one of America's most recognizable.[1]
Family
[edit]Wrangell was a Baltic German baron, a member of the noble Wrangel family, and a White Russian émigré after the fall of the Russian Empire. His parents were general Baron Nikolai Alexandrovitch Von Wrangel of Terpelitzy and Maria Vladmirovna. From 1916 his step mother Baroness Elizabeth Hoyningen-Huene. He was the nephew of Pyotr Wrangel, last commander of the white forces in the Russian south. He had two brothers, Vladimir and Nikolaus. He had three sisters, Maria,Vera, and Xenia.[2][3]
Life
[edit]Wrangle settled in New York, where he served as a society columnist for the New York Journal-American.[4]
Wrangle's "Man in the Hathway Shirt" character, who always sported an eyepatch, was created in 1951 by David Oglivy.[2] Ogilvy explained that the eyepatch was intended to turn the image from an ordinary product photo shoot into a story, leading readers to wonder who the man was and how he lost an eye,[5] drawing the reader into the rest of the story:[6] the typical Oglivy extensive ad copy. Oglivy, inspired by a photo of Ambassador Lewis Douglas,[2][7] by serendipitous chance saw a pirate costume eyepatch in a store on the way to the first shoot, and elected to have Wrangell wear it for the ad.[8][9] (Wrangell himself had full vision in both eyes.)
The eyepatch – never explained – gave Wrangell's character an air of mystery, allure, and intrigue. Wrangell's character – a worldly, distinguished-looking gentleman – displayed an aristocratic aura, and was shown in settings typical of a debonair man of leisure: composing music, playing chess, drinking wine, stepping off a plane, playing the cello, sailing, fencing, buying a Renoir, and so forth.[1][5][10][6][9][11]
The campaign debuted in the September 22, 1951, issue[7] of the literary, upmarket The New Yorker[9] and ran into the 1980s.[1] Wrangell himself retired in 1961, and was replaced by other models.
The campaign was very successful, boosting the Hathaway shirt company's profile and sales to a considerable degree (sales increased more than 65% over the next four years)[12] and influenced the future direction of the advertising industry itself and made Oglivy's reputation.[12][5][10][8]
Death
[edit]Wrangell died in Manhattan of a heart attack in 1969.[4]
See also
[edit]- Commander Whitehead, a similarly debonair advertising character
- The Most Interesting Man in the World, a similarly debonair advertising character
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Remembering the C. F. Hathaway Company, Waterville Maine". Maine State Museum. 3 June 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c "ADVERTISING: One-Eyed Flattery". Time. June 23, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ Presidential Library archive of Baron Nikolai Alexandrovitch Wrangel accessed 17 Oct 2024
- ^ a b "Milestones". Time. Vol. 93, no. 26. June 20, 1969. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c Alex Walker (November 11, 2015). "How a 5-cent Eye-Patch Created a Million Dollar Story". Sitepoint. Retrieved August 10, 2024.[better source needed]
- ^ a b Mike Schauer. ""The Man In The Hathaway Shirt" Ad by David Ogilvy". Swiped. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Cracknell, Andrew (2012). The Real Mad Men: The Renegades of Madison Avenue and the Golden Age of Advertising. Runnng Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0762440900. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Alessandro Diele (January 7, 2021). "#HistoryAd: The Man in the Hathaway Shirt". Dietro le Nuvole (in Italian). Retrieved August 10, 2024.[better source needed]
- ^ a b c Tungate, Mark (2013). Adland: A Global History of Advertising. Kogan Page. p. 42. ISBN 978-0749464318. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Man in the Hathaway Shirt". Iconic Photos. October 16, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2024.[better source needed]
- ^ Hatch, Steve; Taylor, Jim (2007). Rigorous Magic: Communication Ideas and their Application. Wiley. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-0470026014. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Sophisticated Sell". Time. Vol. 68, no. 10. September 3, 1965. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- 1903 births
- 1969 deaths
- Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire
- Barons of the Russian Empire
- Wrangel family
- Russian exiles
- White Russian emigrants to the United States
- Models from the Russian Empire
- Russian male models
- Expatriate models
- Male models from New York (state)
- Models from New York City
- Male characters in advertising
- Clothing advertising characters