This is Ed McCabe—and you’re not.

Ed made ads, not like you young punks and your experiential bullshit. Back when men were men and women were fighting hard to get noticed in the business for being something other than a secretary. Ed “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken” McCabe to be exact, one of a few ad legends including George Lois present at the opening of the One Show’s The Real Men & Women of Madison Avenue. (At the NY Public Library through the end of September.) While there are nods to more contemporary figures like Lee Clow, the focus is on the real old school.

Angela at AdRants summed up it up perfectly: You were in a room with people who basically imagineered your childhood. Seeing many of the greats of the past together like that also felt a little like League of Their Own. Sure, others came before even them, but for the most part, these were the ones who wrote most of the lines we grew up with. (To that end, I scanned the crowd trying to pick out the Stilwell angel among us, but then it dawned on me they were too busy making ads to make kids.)

Creatives these days sporting ink? Check out Ed’s, right forearm. Simple. Direct. Manly. “And done before you young punks were born. Now, go get me a Scotch, then we’ll talk about how much I hate that Mad Men TV show.”*

If you want pics, check out some by a real photographer covering the event, or on Angela’s Flickr, much better than the one I snapped above. “Mister, that’s no way to treat a legend. Shoot it right or go home—punk.”**

(Also worth mentioning was the work of Jill and Rachel and the design360inc.com team who along with the One Show, designed and produced the look of the event in just three weeks. Dig the quotes throughout the exhibit space.)

*He didn’t say most of that, although he looked like he could, but he did say he hates Mad Men. I like Ed.

**He also didn’t say that—but he looked like he wanted to. I still like Ed.

Tags: Real Men and Women of Madison Ave