Study Task 1 Image Analysis

The first image is an 1876 advertisement for an American cooking range, while the second image, a diptych, is a 1930 advertisement for new transport links in East Africa.

The first thing I noted when comparing the two images is that they both resemble propaganda, rather than advertising. They are both very biased to Western values - the only difference being the overly patriotic theme to the 'Uncle Sam range' advert, while the transport advert focuses more on general Western (white) values. The reason I point this out is that in the first image, there is a small black boy taking food out of the range, who I can only assume is a slave, and similarly in the second image, the native African people are represented as angry and savage. Also notably in the second half of the diptych, the white man is stood tall in the foreground while black 'workers' (slaves) are hunched over and visually represented as being lower than the white man.

Both images promote new technology, as both are adverts for it, being different kinds of technology. The first image promotes new technology as progress, if we note the dates on the clock (1776-1876). 1776 is when the American Declaration of Independence was signed, and 1876 being the present date at the time, but interestingly the American civil war (largely about slave ownership rights) took place during this time. This advert therefore encourages a sense of unity, particularly by having 'Uncle Sam' (America), 'West', 'Dixie' (South America) and 'England' sat around the table together.

That brings me on to my next point about the propaganda style. Both images are aimed at a middle class audience, to suggest that if they buy or invest in these products their lives will be improved. In the first image, it is suggested that buying the range will make you more patriotic (the wallpaper/curtains etc. are all in the American flag colours), or even unpatriotic if you don't buy it, and don't they want to be like the happy family in the illustration? The second image also suggest this, as going back to my earlier point, wouldn't they rather be like the white man than the 'dirty, savage' natives?

The adverts are both very patriarchal, as society still was at these points in history. The first image shows the male personification of America handling the finances at the head of the table, while what we can assume is his wife is serving food in the background. At this point women wouldn't have done the cooking in an upper class family, as it would have been handled by slaves or other workers. Similarly in the second image, there are no women in the second half of the diptych, and the only ones in the first half are the native women. The advert suggests that women wouldn't want to come to a place where there are such people, even if there are great transport links.

These images are still relevant today, as advertisers still aim their products at similar markets, although now are less racist and sexist (although these are not extinct), and we in the West still believe we are improving the lives of people in other countries by imposing our values and way of life onto them, even though they may not always see it that way.