"The blind are also color blind" - support of the Civil Rights bill, 1964

In 1947, Jack Roberts formed the Carson/Roberts agency with Ralph Carson. Carson/Roberts grew into Los Angeles’ largest advertising firm until it merged with Ogilvy & Mather in 1971.

Among their clients were Gallo wines, Gates Learjet, Mattel, Max Factor and Baskin-Robbins. But one of their most memorable ads was this one. 

This photo was taken at Camp Bloomfield. Founder Norma Kaplan had a copy of this photo hanging in his office. The young boys are Ken Morgan, left, and Leonard Crook, on the right.

Legend has it that a copywriter took a photo from Carson’s wall of two blind children at a picnic, and turned it into an ad in support of the Civil Rights Bill: “The blind are also colorblind.”

Not sure if it happened quite like that, since there are art directors involved, but the image itself is quite powerful. 

Photo Taken At The Foundation For The Junior Blind Summer Camp, Los Angeles, By Doug Wilson. Carson/Roberts/INC/Advertising/Los Angeles

Ad agency: Carson/Roberts Los Angeles
Photographer: Doug Wilson

Art Directors: Tony Haller, Steve Madden
Copywriter: Bea Lavery
Creative Director: Jack Roberts

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