| 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 Household Sewing Machine Co., three advertising tropes which can be observed include scenes that inspire young American women, eye-catching design features, 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 a girl with a parasol encountering a large egg, insinuating that the advertised items have elegant and 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 includes an oversized egg intended to catch the eye of consumers as well as generate curiosity about what unique items the advertiser could offer.
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 two birds perching on a large egg, a wholesome image which helps to facilitate favorable attention from consumers.
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| Bibliography |
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2021, https://www.britannica.com/art/printmaking/Lithography. |
