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]
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Family
editWrangell 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 1869-1927 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
editWrangle 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
editSee 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.