The Uncle Sam Range - Advertising image by Schumacher & Ettlinger, New York, 1876
The purpose of this poster is to advertise 'The Uncle Sam Range', obviously referring to the large range cooker in the left of the image. The poster is directed towards a wealthy target audience, clearly shown by the ornamental decor, the lavish clothing of the characters and also the use of a black slave boy cooking to show 'Uncle Sam's' wealth. The audience is both American and Global, with Uncle Sam being shown to literally 'feed the world' as there is a globe sat at the table, with Uncle Sam showing it the food that's been cooked with the oven. The globe is reading through a list of countries and food associated with those countries, most likely a reference to all the different kinds of food that can be cooked using the range. The poster is mainly a celebration of America and they're independence from the British Empire. This poster was produced 100 years after America became independent and the dates 1776 AND 1876 are shown on the clock on the mantlepiece. There are also three characters at the back, Dixie, The West and England, that also show a reference to Americas independence and the union of the states. Nearly all the decorative elements of this depicted scene are covered with the stars and stripes of the American flag, and also Uncle Sam has an eagle on his shoulder, further more referring to this celebration of America and their independence.
The black slave in the corner is a reference once again to the wealth and power of America, it was seen as a luxury to have a house slave at this time. This also shows America's reliance on slave labour. None of the meal is prepared by Uncle Sam himself, but instead by his slave, representing how Americas world success and power was entirely dependent on it's slave trade.
Colonial Progress Brings Home Prosperity - Series of posters by Adrian Allinson, displayed 1930-1931
When comparing this set of images to the Uncle Sam poster, the first clear difference is the tone of voice and overall style of the images. The layout of the Uncle Sam poster seems almost messy and focuses most on just shouting about America and how great America is. The Colonial Progress images almost have a sense of calm about them, it is clear that the composition has been thought about and you can clearly see the difference between the overconfident, cocky America and the better mannered social ideals of the British.
A similarity between these two images is that they are both designed to appeal to the wealthy and the upper class. There is a clear sense of social hierarchy in both of the images with Uncle Sam being centred and well lit, with other characters taking a literal back seat and also the slave boy in the corner being almost over cast by the shadow of the oven. The Colonial Progress posters also show this hierarchy with a well dressed, white man stood at the forefront of the image, looking directly out of the frame, a symbol of looking towards the future of the British empire. Once again, the black characters in this image are in the background, separated entirely from the white man and are physically placed in a lower position to him. There is heavy stylisation of the black figures, with offensive cartoon-like features that further dehumanise them.
The posters are both trying to sell something, whether this be an actual product or an ideology.Through both images, you can depict a similar set of underlying messages, mainly aimed towards the fact that, whites and western culture are supreme and also that the technology being produced by the white western world is progress and will benefit all. These messages are both conveyed in different ways though, with the Uncle Sam poster being a lot more overconfident and patriotic whilst the Colonial Progress posters kept to the illustrative style of that time and relied heavily on the image to convey meaning.
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