A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture

by Mary Cross

Dogs eat burritos, camels smoke cigarettes, and frogs drink beer. Welcome to the Century of the Consumer. In the 20th century, Americans were romanced by consumer culture, which in turn reflected the changing attitudes, priorities, and values of the country. This book compiles entries on 100 consumer products―ten per decade―that figured prominently in the rise of consumer culture in the United States, telling the story behind the century's most popular products, slogans, and symbols.

A unique format provides glimpses into American popular culture from each decade in the century. In addition to the history of advertising, economics, and the media, students will learn how perceptions of class, gender, and race were conveyed through advertising-and how those perceptions changed from 1900 to 2000. A-Z entries for each decade include bibliographic information on the product, as well as vivid illustrations showing the visual evolution of advertising icons and strategies throughout the century.

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at iconography through advertising. Each chapter is dedicated to a decade starting with 1900 picking out about 10 or so brands that were iconic to that time. Each brand has a bit of history to the company and / or brand as well as notable advertising campaigns. Most brands are still known today like Campbell's Soup and Morton Salt that made their debut in the early 20th century. Some, including more recent brands like Hathaway shirts, are curious inclusions because they don't seem to be nationally popular. Each chapter is introduced with a short history of life during that decade, giving the reader an understanding of how advertising and brands would impact consumers at the time.

An overall fun read. I would have liked more pictures, but interesting enough. I mostly sat at my computer while reading, looking up the ads mentioned in each chapter.