Business Advertisement Card: McLaughlin's XXXX Coffee

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 McLaughlin's XXXX Coffee, two advertising tropes which can be observed are derogatory scenes of American minority groups and the inclusion of animals.

Many trade cards in the United States included racialized scenes to propagate white perceptions of civilization. The purpose of these messages was to generate reactions from a majority-white audience using familiar imagery from the traditional American mythos, which often included the stereotypical and demeaning perceptions of American minority groups. This marketing trend legitimized calls to Americanize cultures which were considered uncivilized. This card demonstrates this trend because it features an “Alaska Indian” child paired with a baby seal and a spear, an image which helps white Americans classify Alaskan Native American culture as innately aggressive and primitive.

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 baby seal being held by a Native American child, a wholesome and curious image which helps to facilitate favorable attention from consumers.

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