Gevaert–Gevacolor advertising lamp

Gevacolor – Gevaert Film, a plexiglass advertising counter/display lamp, dating from the 1950s or 1960s. Launched by Gevaert in 1947, Gevacolor referred to its color films for photography and cinema; the Gevaert-branded range gradually disappeared around 1966. The preserved tax stamp on the back, a type that appeared in the early 1940s but was used beyond, is compatible with this dating. Just above it is still the manufacturer’s label, Établissements Artplex.

This Gevacolor advertising lamp is part of the commercial communication history of Gevaert, an important Belgian company for photographic products. The Antwerp Fotomuseum (FOMU), which preserves the Agfa-Gevaert historical archives, notably holds an illuminated Gevacolor sign dated 1960 to 1964 (inventory 2022/2), testifying to the use of illuminated displays to promote the brand.

• W 25 CM x D 11 CM x H 11 CM
• The electrification has been tested and verified by our restorer.

Gevaert and the Emergence of a True Advertising Identity

From the 1950s, international competition intensified significantly among major photographic product manufacturers such as Kodak, Agfa, Fuji, Ilford, and Gevaert. The Belgian firm consequently placed increasing importance on advertising, product packaging, and the construction of an immediately recognizable visual identity.

Gevaert’s advertising department multiplied initiatives: illustrated calendars, photographic manuals, demonstration documents for resellers, participation in major international exhibitions, and the acquisition of photographs by renowned authors to highlight the performance of its films and papers.

Gevaert also developed its own publications. The magazine Gevaert Foto-Dienst, published from 1938 to 1951, was followed by Fotorama, published from 1952 to 1958, offering advice and information to both professional and amateur photographers.

This policy accompanied the establishment of a true brand identity. Like its main competitors, Gevaert progressively adopted an emblematic color: yellow became inseparable from Kodak, green from Fuji, while Gevaert chose a characteristic orange-red. This color was featured on numerous packages, displays, and promotional materials distributed to photography stores.

Color and typography as immediate visual identity.

It is within this context that Gevaert’s illuminated advertising signs and objects, intended for photographers’ and resellers’ counters, emerged. More than mere decorative objects, they directly contributed to the desire to make the brand immediately identifiable at points of sale.

From Gevaert to Agfa-Gevaert

Gevaert reached its peak in 1964, the year the company employed approximately 9,000 people, including over a hundred researchers. That same year saw the merger between Gevaert Photo-Producten and Agfa AG.

The new company initially took the name Gevaert-Agfa, before becoming Agfa-Gevaert in 1971. Its capital was then shared between the Gevaert holding company and Bayer. In 1981, Bayer became the sole shareholder after acquiring Gevaert’s stake.

From the 1980s and 1990s, the company’s evolution was primarily marked by the transition to digital imaging, image processing, and applications for the graphic arts and medical industries.

This advertising lamp thus belongs to a particularly interesting period in Gevaert’s history, when the Belgian manufacturer sought to establish its identity against major international photographic groups. A functional object as much as a communication medium, it testifies to the golden age of photography stores and their counter advertisements, which are now largely disappeared.

The Gevacolor advertising lamp

This advertising lamp now constitutes a genuine piece of photographic memorabilia. It testifies to the visual world of old photography stores, their counters, display windows, and promotional materials. These point-of-sale advertising objects are now sought after by both vintage photography enthusiasts and collectors of advertising memorabilia and historical brand signs.