| Description |
Many American advertising cards in the nineteenth century displayed a variety of visual and rhetorical themes to foster the attention of potential consumers. The appealing elements these cards displayed convinced the public that these easily disposable ephemera pieces were worthy of preservation. In this card for Clark's Spool Cotton, two advertising tropes which can be observed are scenes that inspire young American women and the positive reactions by consumers when children are included in the branding.
Advertising cards that featured children and young adults engaging in consumer lifestyles were appealing to young audiences. For young American girls, a demographic that often lived in constraining social environments, these cards were particularly endearing and relatable, especially when they featured girls of the same age group. The girls on the card participating in happy and even adventurous consumer activities were symbolic of what opportunities were available for young women in a new American industrialized era. In this card, a girl can be seen sledding with a boy down a hill in a snowy environment, the implication being that any girl would be in a happier and more comfortable state overall after using the advertised product.
Children were terrific advertising tools in American trade cards, with producers often using charming images of young people to increase consumer sentiments and facilitate a positive reputation for their brands. Also, these children were often depicted as engaging in consumer lifestyles, a trend that their peers found inspiring. Additionally, some advertisers used sympathy for children–often depicting them as downtrodden or impoverished–to advertise the negative issues of industrialized society. This card demonstrates this trend by presenting an image of two children sledding in winter with the intent of gaining favorable attention from consumers.
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| Bibliography |
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