The Uncle Sam’s advert is very detailed and looks more like a painting than an advertisement. The typeface used is a very bold slab serif and is western in style. It is a very patriotic image which is apparent from the american flag decor, the carpet, clothing and also the eagle sitting on Uncle Sam’s shoulder. The ‘U’ and the ’S’ in ‘Uncle Sam’s’ are also larger than the rest of the text showing another example of patriotism as the U.S really stands out. It is apparent that from looking at the frame on the wall behind Uncle Sam and at the clock that the image is celebrating 100 years of American independence. Uncle Sam is pictured head of the table at a dinner party, he shares a lot of similarities to one of America’s former Presidents Abraham Lincoln, this represents leadership and power. Sat at the table with Uncle Sam is a globe and three women, Dixie, West and New England representing the main parts of america, it gives the idea that the world is invited to the dinner party. It is aimed at middle class men who want the kind of lifestyle shown in the image and seems to be conveying the message that if you own this range cooker you too can live the American dream. The image shows signs of racism from the slave pictured serving them and also if you look closely at the bill that the globe is holding, the foods listed underneath the countries are very stereotypical. For example for Ireland the only thing listed are potatoes cooked in various ways and for China there is birds nests and boiled grasshoppers.
The Savile and Lumley poster shows more subtle signs of patriotism such as the red rose pattern on the curtains, royal symbol pattern on the arm chair and the beef eater toy soldiers that the boy is playing with. It is showing an imagined successful future after the war. Pictured is a Father sat in his arm chair with his daughter sat on his knee reading a history book and his son on the floor next to him playing with toy soldiers. The text underneath the image reads ‘Daddy what did you do in the Great War?’ The italic script typeface gives the impression that his daughter is asking the question and from the look on the father’s face it seems he didn’t play his part in the war. The image is using guilt to try and persuade middle class men to fight for their country in the great war, by making them think about how they would answer the question to their children. If they had not fought in the great war they would look cowardly and their families would be ashamed by their lack of patriotism.
Both are aimed at middle class men, this is apparent as the people in both images are well dressed and have very comfortable surroundings. The Uncle Sam’s advert was aimed at middle class men wanting to live the extravagant lifestyle shown in the image, as the working class wouldn’t have been able to afford such a cooker, or even the chicken coming out of the cooker as this would have been a luxury during this time. The Savile and Lumley poster was also aimed at middle class men for a different reason, the majority of men fighting in the war in 1914 were working class and by 1915 there would have been a lot of deaths so middle class men were needed to replenish the battlefield. Both images are patriotic, however the Savile and Lumley poster is a lot more subtle compared to the bright colours and bold patterns shown in the Uncle Sam’s advert. The Uncle Sam’s advert uses wealth and success to promote the range cooker, the Savile and Lumley poster also uses the idea of success but primarly evokes feelings of guilt to try and make men fight for their county and make their families proud.
No comments:
Post a Comment