Advertisements
19th Century - Present
The trade cards, pamphlets, and magazine advertisements in this section represent important moments in the history of product advertising, and also provide useful information about dental products from the nineteenth century to the present. Dental trade cards were used during the Victorian era to advertise products. The often interesting and beautiful images on these cards made them highly collectible from the moment they entered circulation. Because some cards were printed with stock images, it is interesting to consider the relationship (or lack thereof) between the image on the front of the card and the product being advertised. These cards are little windows onto Victorian attitudes toward beauty and health, as well as contemporary dental practices (Croll & Swanson, 2006).
The magazine advertisements in this exhibit are slightly more recent, dating primarily from the 1920s-1940s. With glossy, high-impact designs, these advertisements invite readers to embrace not only a new dental hygiene product, but a way of life. These ads focus on strong gums and white teeth, and remind their readers that these things, and the healthy, glamourous lifestyle that they indicate, may be had for the cost of a tube of toothpaste.
