Business Advertisement Card: "Sozodont"

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 Sozodont, two advertising tropes which can be observed are eye-catching design features and the imagery medical advertisers used to make their remedial products seem more trustworthy.

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 pictures a fairy next to a short poem. This suggests that the advertised product is fitting for magical beings and, therefore, demonstrates that the advertiser offers high-quality items and services.

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 a fairy in floral scenery to convince consumers that Sozodont, as a supposedly remedial item, produces effects which are, overall, positive and healing.

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