Get (7)UP and Celebrate!

The ad above is from 1957 for the 7 UP soft drink. It is a very festive, cheerful, vibrant picture expressing the joys of celebrating Christmas. The busy frame gives us the impression of a crowded gathering of friends, with people talking, laughing and excited to be with each other. There is a low light which adds to that special warmth of the holidays. And of course, everyone is drinking 7 UP which obviously brings such good friends together.

At the center of the picture, there is a couple, also holding 7 UP drinks in their hands, playfully flirting with one another. The man teases what is probably his girlfriend, with a small sausage which she is about to bite. The sexual tension between the two builds. Her right arm seems to be holding him. They're in their own world. The man to the left is too busy trying to grab a 7 UP to even noticed the couple.

Interestingly, together the couple form a triangle, like a Christmas tree. In the middle of them, there is a smaller triangle form created by the man's hand offering the sausage, and her arm holding him. Triangular compositions give the picture more balance and stability.

In the background there is a couple decorating the Christmas tree. In this interaction, the female is the one holding an ornament to give to the man, in contrast to the man feeding his girlfriend with a sausage in the foreground. The man fixing the tree in the background seems older than the man in the foreground, and there is no suggestion of any flirtatious behavior between him and the woman holding the violet colored ornament.

Those who clearly stand out in this picture are the two couples in the front and background. The other three characters sort of blend with the picture in light and color shade as just part of the party crowd.

One last interesting detail is the man to the left of the foreground couple. While he tries grabbing a 7 UP, his left hand makes an interesting sign. I look at his left hand and ask, why is his hand depicted this way? If you look closely at the thumb and index finger they form a number 7. Clever advertising.