Advertising and the Transformation of American Society, 1865-1920

(Hardback)

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In the period between 1865 to 1920, as America shifted from a rural-farming economy to urban-manufacturing, a major transformation also occurred in the behavior of the country's consumers. This change is perhaps best illustrated in the advertisements that appeared in popular magazines. They began by simply informing consumers of the cost and availability of a product, but, by 1920, they were projecting an image that defined the American dream in terms of a consumption ethic. In this historical analysis of advertisements, James Norris explores this transformation of society and its ads, and the role that advertising played in developing a national market for consumer goods, creating demand for mass-produced items, and shifting the consumption habits of Americans. Focusing primarily on popular journals and magazines with national circulations, Norris traces how, by the 1920s, America had become a society in which consumption and spending had replaced old virtues. He examines a number of issues affecting this change, including how national markets developed, how consumers were convinced to buy products they had never seen before, what appeals manufacturers used to build markets, and how consumers were persuaded to purchase items that had previously been produced locally or in the home. Other factors that played a role in the transformation are also considered, such as the breakdown of localism, an increasingly educated citizenry, the potential for mass production, and a growth in per-capita income. Whenever possible, the advertisements themselves have been quoted and reproduced, fully illustrating Norris' premise that they are mirrors of the society that produced them. This study will be an important resource for courses in business history, economics, women's studies, and the history of advertising, as well as a valuable addition to college, university, and public libraries.

Reviews

Business historian Norris analyzes the transformation of the US to national markets and a consumption society, a transformation he attributes primarily to economic abundance and advertising. The author stresses magazine advertising and the change from product-oriented to consumer-oriented advertising which was designed to create rather than just fill demand. He traces the marketing of important products from patent medicines and sewing machines to soaps and cosmetics. The author concludes that sodas, cigarettes, and automobiles made advertising (and consumption) 'come of age' by 1920. Chapter titles--'Any Fool Can Make Soap, ' 'Leisure Time for Ladies, ' 'I'd Walk a Mile for a Camel'--suggest his approach and integration of specific issues with general conditions and offers a useful description of this changing society, from rural and local and relatively restricted to urban and abundant. Norris draws interesting conclusions about advertisements and their impact on American society. Heavily footnoted, extensive bibliography, limited index. Illustrations of advertisements and tables of data for the period. More focused than Stuart Ewen, Captains of Consciousness (1976). College and public library collections.-Choice
James D. Norris, Dean of Northern Illinois University, has written a very readable, interesting and well researched book on the changes in America from the end of the Civil War to the end of World War I. Advertising serves as his window for viewing the evolution of this young nation into a mature manufacturing powerhouse. This volume is easily accessible to both the general public and trained professional.-Society & Government Economists Bulletin
"James D. Norris, Dean of Northern Illinois University, has written a very readable, interesting and well researched book on the changes in America from the end of the Civil War to the end of World War I. Advertising serves as his window for viewing the evolution of this young nation into a mature manufacturing powerhouse. This volume is easily accessible to both the general public and trained professional."-Society & Government Economists Bulletin
"Business historian Norris analyzes the transformation of the US to national markets and a consumption society, a transformation he attributes primarily to economic abundance and advertising. The author stresses magazine advertising and the change from product-oriented to consumer-oriented advertising which was designed to create rather than just fill demand. He traces the marketing of important products from patent medicines and sewing machines to soaps and cosmetics. The author concludes that sodas, cigarettes, and automobiles made advertising (and consumption) 'come of age' by 1920. Chapter titles--'Any Fool Can Make Soap, ' 'Leisure Time for Ladies, ' 'I'd Walk a Mile for a Camel'--suggest his approach and integration of specific issues with general conditions and offers a useful description of this changing society, from rural and local and relatively restricted to urban and abundant. Norris draws interesting conclusions about advertisements and their impact on American society. Heavily footnoted, extensive bibliography, limited index. Illustrations of advertisements and tables of data for the period. More focused than Stuart Ewen, Captains of Consciousness (1976). College and public library collections."-Choice

Author Bio

JAMES D. NORRIS is Professor of History and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Northern Illinois University. His previous books include Frontier Iron, AZn: A History of the American Zinc Company, Politics and Patronage in the Gilded Age (with Arthur Shaffer), and R.G. Dun & Co. 1841-1900: The Development of Credit Reporting in the Nineteenth Century. Norris is a specialist in business and economic history and is currently working on a study comparing the development of businesses on the American frontier.