Business Advertisement Card: Leader Sewing Machine Co.

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 for Leader Sewing Machine Co. includes a boy holding a smaller girl in his arms while standing on rocks in a river, a wholesome image intended to help facilitate favorable attention from consumers.

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