African Americans as Products &
Advertising
The late 19th Century saw the rise of product advertising
in the United States. One common form of advertising
was the Victorian trade card; postcard-sized cardboard
ads that were given out at merchant stores and in mailings.
Victorian trade cards often sported interesting graphics
or puzzles, sometimes having nothing to do with the
product being advertised. These cards were highly collectible
and often turn up at auctions and estate sales today,
pasted into old albums. Victorian trade cards and other
product advertising presented White American with a
shared set of values and desires, set apart from minorities
by their "other" status. Advertising and products
from this time period frequently popularized stereotypes
and caricatures through racial imagery. |
