Business Advertisement Card: Household Sewing Machine Co.

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 Household Sewing Machine Co., two advertising tropes which can be observed include scenes that inspire young American women and the inclusion of animals.

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 two girls in stylish dresses, one holding a parrot and both carrying parasols. Advertisements with these appealing images of traditionally endearing young women were appealing examples for girls wishing to engage in the consumer lifestyle.

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 parrot perched on a girl’s hand, a wholesome image which helps to facilitate favorable attention from consumers.

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