| 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 Lutted's S.P. Cough Drops, four advertising tropes which can be observed include scenes that inspire young American women, eye-catching design features, the inclusion of animals, and the imagery medical advertisers used to make their remedial products seem more trustworthy.
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. This card features a girl in a blue bonnet and a woman chasing a lamb, insinuating that the advertised item has wondrous qualities and, therefore, can improve a girl’s quality of life.
Printed trade cards which featured appealing designs and imagery were more likely to be recognized by the American public and, therefore, generate brand recognition for the producing company. Scenes with exotic, eye-catching, and even fantastical qualities were often implemented into these cards. This portrayal was meant to suggest that the advertised product, as opposed to similar items from other brands, was of high quality and perhaps even supernatural in its effectiveness. This card draws reference to the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb” by showing Mary, her lamb, and the teacher that is driving the lamb away. Any child or adult that recognized or was fond of this ditty could have recognized this card's imagery and been drawn to the advertisement. In fact, this card specifically mentions that instructors, such as the shown teacher, use Lutted’s cough drops, hoping to make the product more appealing for a wider professional audience. It is also possible that children collected this type of card for the image alone only to eventually be shown to the parents, a strategy that advertisers often implemented to introduce their products to family units.
American advertisers often included animals in their trade cards to charm and increase consumer patronage. Producers were particularly incentivized to make their advertisements visually appealing to children since younger audiences tended to collect and disseminate trade cards to their parents. This card demonstrates this trend by showing a lamb being chased out of a school setting, a wholesome and humorous image which helps to facilitate favorable attention from consumers.
As many Americans practiced self-medication and distrusted medical professionals, patent medicine companies were the largest distributors of domestic trade cards. Public ignorance of healthy habits and a lack of advertising regulations on trade cards allowed medical advertisers to make exaggerated and untruthful claims on the beneficial qualities of their products. This marketing approach resulted in great profits for the sellers, but also fostered the prevalence of disease and other illnesses. This card is an example of this trend because it includes the appealing imagery of Mary and her lamb to convince consumers that the remedy advertised supposedly produces effects which are, overall, positive and healthy.
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| Bibliography |
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