Camel Cigarettes, 1943

Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd, based on an original negative by John Vachon

Taken February 1943, New York, United States (Library of Congress)

The Camel Cigarettes sign was a staple of Times Square and 44th Street in New York, emblazoned on the Broadway side of the sixteen storey Hotel Claridge build in 1911. Originally painted in 1941, the sign went under many different iterations, all hand painted until 1966 when it was replaced. The local landmark incredibly even blew 4 ft smoke rings as a feature of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's flagship advertising billboard.

Woolworth's, to the left of the billboard, shared its retail space with the Bond Clothing Store, was a staple for tourists and locals until its closure in January 1975, due to increased rent hikes from the landowners, and Bond Clothing shuttered its doors just two years later.

Through extensive research, I managed to find a single colour photograph from the early forties which confirmed the colours of much of the signage along the bottom, with another photograph for the buses.

This colorization is an exclusive piece to commemorate the inauguration of The Crypt.

Original caption reads,

"New York, New York. Camel cigarette advertisement at Times Square."