Coppertone - Colore di Rame

"Coppertone - Colore di Rame" is an Original Vintage Poster created by Joyce Ballantyne circa 1960. This suntan cream advertisement, created for the Italian market, highlights the iconic character, "Little Miss Coppertone". The adorable blonde toddler’s beach day is interrupted by a mischievous Cocker Spaniel puppy, who snags and pulls down her bathing suit bottom to reveal her fair skin. In Italian we are reminded of the Coppertone brand’s promise of, "Tan! Don’t Burn!". It is one of the most playful and recognizable poster images of the 1960s.

Coppertone is a brand of suntan cream and sunblock products developed by pharmacist Benjamin Green in 1944. A Florida native, Green first began developing his product while serving as an airman in WWII to protect him and his fellow servicemen from severe exposure to the sun while on the flightdeck. Once the war was over, Green returned to Miami Beach to perfect his formula for the mass market by adding elements of coconut oil and coconut butter. The initial goal of Coppertone was to enable its user to get as tan as possible, without burning. The brand has adapted over the years to provide UV-protection, something that was not significant to the average consumer in the 1950s and 1960s.

The "Little Miss Coppertone" logo was developed originally in 1953 as a composite of works by at least seven artists. After a fire destroyed the original branding in 1956, well known pin-up artist Joyce Ballantyne was tasked with recreating the image. Ballantyne recreated the design as best she could, with one small but important change. She modeled the face of the "Little Miss" after her own toddler daughter, Cherie. This final version is the one that we see in this poster, as well as on the branding of most Coppertone products today.

This is an Original Vintage Poster. It is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.