White Horse whisky

The photograph in this advertisement for White Horse whisky was created by Steve Rumsey in the late 1960s. Rumsey had established his own advertising agency called Photo Associates Limited in 1965, and he was commissioned to create the image by Auckland agency Inglis Wright on behalf of their client White Horse whisky. The image was produced by superimposing a photograph of a horse and rider over a photograph of the whisky bottle and glass. The photograph was then line converted, a process that removes grey tones and results in a striking image that can be reproduced on a variety of surfaces without loss of quality. As well, Rumsey used a circular screen, in which the benday dots are replaced by concentric circles, rather than a conventional screen. This subtly directs the viewer's attention to the glass in the centre of the image.

The tale of a horse
When Rumsey was first approached to create photographs for this advertising campaign, the by-line 'Put a white horse in your glass' had already been established. After discussions with the art department at Inglis Wright, it was decided that the photograph should quite literally embody the message of the advertising copy. The image was completed, then, unexpectedly, the decision was made to return to the company's previous by-line 'There's no mistaking White Horse Whisky'. It was too late to change the visual component of the advertisement, hence the slightly odd connection between the photograph and text in the finished product.

An archive of advertising
Te Papa's collection of Rumsey's photographs includes a number of his advertising images. His career as an advertising photographer began in 1955 when he left his job as a scientific and wildlife photographer and began working for Barry McKay Photography in Auckland. During a long career, he photographed for a variety of clients. Te Papa has examples of his advertising images that range from consumer items through to artists and artworks.