| 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 Clark's Thread, two advertising tropes which can be observed include scenes that inspire young American women and eye-catching design features.
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 and a boy riding on a bicycle with thread spools as wheels, suggesting that a girl’s physicality and quality of life will improve after she uses the advertised product to mend clothing items.
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 bicycles with spools for thread as wheels. This imagery is meant to catch the eye of consumers as well as generate curiosity about what unique textile items the advertiser could offer.
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| Bibliography |
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