Imperial persuaders

In the period 1880-1960, advertising pervaded every aspect of British life. It was also the period which witnessed the rise of the British Empire. This text traces the historically changing image of non-white people in British advertising during the colonial period. Drawing on archival sources it analyses the various conflicting and changing ideologies of colonialism and racism in British advertising. The book reveals the historical and production context of many well-known advertising icons, as well as the specific commercial interests that various companies' images projected. It also develops a detailed textual analysis of the images. The study as a whole provides a chronological understanding of changing colonial ideologies in relation to advertising, while each chapter explores images produced to sell specific products, such as soap, cocoa, tea and tobacco.