At the beginning of the decade, America was at war. Patriotism was an integral part of everyday life, with the sentiment mirrored in advertising. As America emerged victorious out of the darkness of World War II in 1945, the economic boom of the era helped usher in the most dramatic rise in quality of life, excess, and consumerism.

The war’s end also brought unprecedented pride and prosperity to the American people, and nothing reflects the new wave of consumerism and progress more than the ads of the time. Spending power dramatically increased in the decade’s second half, with plentiful jobs and higher wages. Because of the new GI Bill, affordable housing was made available to returning war veterans for the first time. People were ready to embrace the idea of the American Dream.