Heinz Soups : Tomato (No 1)

This very early TV ad offers horticulture, a recipe and a cartoon, all wrapped up with a catchy jingle.

There are a number of clues that this ad comes from the very earliest days of commercial television. It packs a lot into 60 seconds, and almost seems to be three ads in one. The sponsor and their advertising agency Young & Rubicam are not quite sure of the right approach to their audience - or perhaps even who that audience is - so they throw in a bit of everything.

This three-part commercial, built around illustrating tomato varieties, a recipe and a cartoon, may have also been shown as separate shorter parts. Feel free to try cracking a couple of eggs into your soup to poach, but it does seem a bit like your lunch is staring at you…