A subsidiary of General Motors, Frigidaire established itself in the interwar period as one of the leading brands of “domestic cold.” In France, its name quickly became a generic term for the refrigerator. At the height of the Trente Glorieuses, household equipment underwent explosive growth: the refrigerator, washing machine and vacuum cleaner became the new emblems of modern comfort, reshaping domestic habits and advertising alike. Brands multiplied their investments and took over the Grand Palais for the Salon des arts ménagers, at the peak of its popularity in the late 1950s. Enormous illuminated stands displayed a wealth of products that Vian would mock — and popularize — in his famous song La Complainte du progrès, subtitled “les Arts ménagers.” In this song, recorded in 1955, Vian popularized the name Gudule (quite a feat in itself) but above all described a new mode of seduction: instead of winning over the woman in question the old-fashioned way, with words of love, it was now more effective, in keeping with modernity, to reel off a list of products one could offer her — an eclectic mix “from the little whisk for making vinaigrette to the fine air freshener for eating up odors, not forgetting heated sheets and the waffle iron” (Alexis Bartier, “Rafale de Vian,” Libération, March 2020).
The opportunity was too good for Philips to miss: without hesitation, they sent Boris Vian to handle the advertising himself at the Salon des arts ménagers, held from February 23 to March 18, 1956! A month-long ball for housewives — and their husbands — with Vian turned into a human sandwich board, wandering the Salon among pressure cookers, stoves and washing machines, with Gudule playing in the background. The only two brands named in the songs, Frigidaire and Dunlopillo, had their own stands there. It is not known whether Vian pushed the joke — and the provocation — so far as to hum his song in front of their booths!
Attendance that year reached its all-time peak: 1.5 million visitors! From 1961 onward, having outgrown the Grand Palais, the Salon had to move to the new “futuristic” CNIT building at La Défense, symbol of a new way of living, dwelling and getting around: the automobile and household appliances became the twin symbols of the emerging consumer society. General de Gaulle understood this perfectly when he declared in 1965 that “the housewife wants a vacuum cleaner, a Frigidaire, she wants a washing machine, and if possible, a car too. That is the movement…”
This design by Jacquelin belongs to the imagery celebrating the performance of this sacrosanct appliance, which — nothing less — “protects the family”: advertising codes shifted toward a narrative of safety, health and abundance, embracing the spirit of the age: household equipment as a promise of well-being for the home.