PERSUASION is "a digital exhibition examining examples of print advertising and advocacy produced by or directed at prairie Canadians over the past century."
PERSUASION is "a digital exhibition examining examples of print advertising and advocacy produced by or directed at prairie Canadians over the past century."
The PERSUASION exhibit includes ads that are interesting and provocative (in a good way) that both reflect and challenge the 'traditional' understandings of feminine and masculine roles. The exhibits can be searched by theme. There is a theme for women that brings up 73 advertisements. There is also theme for children.
It is clear that advertisements are a popular resource for students interested in the histories of class, race, gender and sexuality in Canada. Ads are an excellent source for some factual information - i.e. the prices and availability of goods and services during particular periods. Their visual design and illustrations provide a flavor or ‘feel’ of past times especially prized by those preparing visual histories in either print or electronic formats. The reading and decoding of advertisements can reveal much about historical social structures and the acceptance or disputation of social attitudes and values.
Like other primary historical documents advertisements must be examined critically. The analysis should include their context within the printed medium, their relationships to similar product ads, as well as a study of any information available about the advertiser, the publisher and the designers and illustrators. Advertisements can be a problematic source for documenting the reality of social and economic conditions since they may be more representative of consumers’ aspirations than reflective of the reality of their lives."
