Running head: VICTORIAN ERA ADVERTISMENTS

Historical Analysis: Victorian Era Advertisements

Haley Dodds
Daniela Guzmn
Satyn Risi
Moreen Vaentine
Introduction to Advertising Section 1
Date Submitted: October, 25, 2013
Instructor: Bev Atkinson

Running head: VICTORIAN ERA ADVERTISMENTS

A Journey Through the Victorians

The Victorian Era named for Queen Victoria began in 1837 and ended in 1901 with her death
(Victorian Era, 2012). Throughout that period, Advertising as it is today was born.
Advertisement agencies were first created during the Victorian Era, which meant that products
like Coca Cola were now shown in magazines, and posters instead of relying on retailers to
promote the product themselves (Richards, 2013, p.132). That meant that advertisers were now
able to directly target potential customers. To see the great affects the Victorian Era brought to
product sales and promotions one needs only to look at the advertising giant Coca Cola. In 1886
Coca Cola was a just an Atlanta pharmacist experiment that he sold at his store for 5 cents a
bottle (The Virtual Victorian, 2013). It wasnt until 1888 when a man named Asa Griggs Candler
was hired to market the product that it became the success it still is today (The Virtual Victorian,
2013). Candler used what were then innovative and new marketing techniques like having
removable magazine pages that were separate from the text to display print ads (Lauterbach,
2013, p.491). The ads most commonly shown for the Coca Cola campaigns of the time were of
young beautiful, happy women sipping on a Coca Cola bottle with the logo always visible.
Attractive woman making the covers of ads became mainstream with all ads of the Victorian Era
(Loeb, 2013, 492). A business friend of Candler suggested he sell individual Coca Cola bottles
for a dollar each, taking his friends advice lead to the drink being so popular that other
companies began to mimic them which lead to the manufacturing of the bottle as it is today (The
Virtual Victorian, 2013). The ads I choose displays a drawing of beautiful Victorian lady in a
fine red garment enjoy her drink. The red Coca Cola theme from the ad is still in use today.
Victorian advertising is the reason that advertisement as it is today even exists.

Running head: VICTORIAN ERA ADVERTISMENTS

Air quality in the late 1800s was very poor, due to the heavy machinery of the industrial
revolution which lasted as late as 1840, when Queen Victoria had already been Queen for three
years. As there was so much pollution in the air and water from debris and chemical residue from
machines, many adults and children began suffering from attacks. These attacks consisted of a
loud wheezing noise which [also meant that] breathing [was] painful, difficult, and very
noisy (Cassell Ltd, c.1880s). This soon came to be called asthma after enough people were
treated with the once-rare affliction. Additionally to bronchitis, which was a disease said to be
similar to asthma, pollution began to give residents all kinds of lung problems.
Demand soared for any remedies that could ease the pain during a coughing or asthma
attack. In the early 1870s, an advertisement was released for a product called Ozone Paper (R.
Huggins, n.d.) (Haley Image 1). This paper claimed to instantly cure asthma, chronic bronchitis,
bronchitic asthma, hay fever and influenza coughing fits. Instructions said to fold the piece of
paper in half, light the corner with a match, and within seconds to minutes would have you
relieved of your pain. The reason why this paper worked so well, was because the smoke of the
paper was doing all the work. Nitre paper is a brown-coloured paper, dipped in an incredibly
strong solution of salted potash before laid out to dry flat. The smoke of the nitre paper carried
the salt, which is now known to calm asthma attacks, and a chemical called isoproterenol, which
was approved in 1960 as a medication for asthma (Web MD, 2010) but has since been replaced
for something more effective. As one can imagine after hearing the conditions of the air in the
Victorian Era- namely in Britain- Ozone Paper sold very well.
The Victorian era saw many changes and modernization of society. These
changes are reflected in various mediums such as art, fashions, architecture, and equally
important advertisements. These advertisements are time capsules of an era and allow

Running head: VICTORIAN ERA ADVERTISMENTS

those not from that time to have an understanding of Victorian culture. Two such
advertisements are an advertisement for fabric/clothes to wear when riding a bicycle and
another for a department store. These two things may seem quite innocuous, but they are
a reflection of demographic shifts, technological advances, new economic and social
norms, and were not just persuasive material to encourage consumerism.
Going to mall is a favourite pastime of many young adults today, but was a new
invention in the Victorian era. Previously, when one wanted to buy something they went
to the general store if they lived in a town, and the home of the local cobbler, tailor, or
manufacturer of whatever they needed if they lived in a rural area. With the industrial
revolution things changed. Technologically, merchandise could be mass-produced, and
with the introduction of fixed priced and cash sales, stock quickly replenished (Steinbach,
2012). Demographically, there were major shifts. The population dramatically increased
going from 16 million to 30 million, and the population began moving to urban centers as
the economy was changing from being agriculture to manufacturing based (BBC,
2012). This new labour pool provided workers for factories and shops, and fostered a
new economic class: the middle class. These new class was located in central area and
had the cash to purchase goods. They celebrated this new economic democracy by
consuming. As a society, the shopping norm changed. Previously one would barter and
haggle, but Victorian England saw fixed prices and cash sales (Steinbach, 2012). In
addition, consumers began to browse instead of going to a store only when they needed a
specific good. This advertisement for a Liverpool department store (Steinbach, 2012) is a
culmination of all these factors mirroring the changes in society.

Running head: VICTORIAN ERA ADVERTISMENTS

The advertisements for dress fabrics that show women around a bicycle with copy that
list cycling, golfing, fishing shooting and every day costumes (de Vries,
1968), and it illustrates the state of transition that Victorian England was in regarding the
status of women. Though the woman role was deemed in the home (Evans, 1973), still
the advertisement show women participating in leisurely (de Vries 1968) sport. The time
for leisure is a by-product of the industrial revolution because the new appliances
produced helped women complete housework more efficiently and quickly (Hibbert,
1975). The bicycle is very important because by the nature of how it is constructed, it is
meant to be ridden individually. This allowed women personal freedom to travel short
distances unaccompanied. The claims for clothing in the advertisement mirror the
personal freedom Victorian women were beginning to have as the clothes had to be less
restrictive to allow women to participate in the activities. Middle class women, now with
this time and a bicycle are able to meet and also press for progressive changes such as
proper sanitation, restrictions of child labour, female suffrage and education for children
(Hibbert, 1975). Though a lot of these calls for reform were not fully enacted until after
the Victorian era, the advertisements are reflecting a transition of the status of women not
yet fully realized.
The Victorian era took place when Queen Victoria ruled the British Empire
through June 20, 1837, until her death on January 22, 1901(The Victorian Era, n.d ).
During this period, corsets were worn as a day-to-day garment. Corsets have been around
since before this time period but were referred to as a stiff bodice in the 18 th century but
have been traced back thousands of years before ( Bender,n.d ).

Running head: VICTORIAN ERA ADVERTISMENTS

The reason for this garment being worn was because in the 1830s it was thought of as a
medical necessity, as women were viewed as being fragile and needing assistance to hold
up their bodies ( History of the Victoria Corset, 2011 ). The corset bodice was used for
women as well as children as young as three to four. The lacing up of the bodice varied
within the social class of the Victorian women, upper class women wore their corsets
tightly laced up while working class women wore their corsets loosely ( History of the
Victoria Corset, 2011). The tighter the bodice was the higher your morals were and if the
bodice was looser it reflected you as being a loose woman, or a woman with fewer
morals. The bodice was thought of as a medical necessity however it deformed the
internal organs of women and restricted their breathing, often causing miscarriages for
pregnant women (History of the Victoria Corset, 2011), which contradicts the reason in
which they wore them. Therefore it harmed the health of women opposed to improving
their health. The corset was also worn to give roundness to the bust and shaping over the
hips (Corsets & Crinolines in Victorian Fashion, n.d), therefore accentuating the female
body. The corset overall was viewed as prevailing standards of beauty and femininity
linked to respectability, reputation, and thus class status and security (Summers, 2001)
The advertisement chosen here was important for this time period because it
advertises the very garment that had to be worn every day. The ad displays women and
children in traditional corset garments to advertise corsets. The advertisement is bottom
heavy with writing explaining the different style numbers for different age groups, the
company and manufacturers and the city. There are also words of assurance written
around the advertisement, not just in one place to market their product. There is also a
small pointing finger to the statement be sure your corset is stamped to ensure the

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quality of the bodice. The main focal point of the ad is in the center, this is where you get
the gist of the ad; what its selling, who the intended clients are and why you should buy
it. The advertisement portrays the very mentality of the corset in this time period; it
advertises a bodice that fits easily, gives you an elegant shape, is good for your health, is
comfortable, perfect in fit and goes as far as having a child holding a corset box with the
caption fits baby too( The Pragmatic Consumer,2013 ). This advertisement would be
successful in this time period because it was a necessity, and was something that needed
to be worn to reflect your social class and self-morals.

Cited

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Oct. 2013. <http://www.marquise.de/en/themes/korsett/korsett.shtml>.
Brimblecombe, P. (1987). The Big Smoke. London: Methuen.

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Cassell Ltd. (c.1880s). Etiquette and Household Advice Manuals - Cassells Household Guide,
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