This section of the Authentic History
Center's "Teaching Diversity With Multimedia"
collection focuses on stereotypes of people of African
descent, in products and advertising. TThe 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. Black mammys and toms became
common marketing tools in the early 20th Century.
Meant to inspire confidence and brand loyalty, several
became American icons and are still around today. |
