Consuming Angels: Advertising and Victorian Women

by Lori Anne Loeb

Timid and retiring, the Victorian housewife was an "angel in the house," or so says the stereotype. But when this angel picked up a popular magazine-- The Lady , for instance--she saw in its advertisements images of Grecian goddesses, women warriors, queens, actresses, adventurers. These arrestingly sexual and surprisingly powerful images are the subject of Consuming Angels , a major examination of how Victorian ads shaped social values. Stylishly written and featuring 73 reproductions, this book shows how ads used the hedonistic aspects of Victorian culture to sell their wares, glorified consumerism, and mythologized the middle-class life. Images of aggressive women, Loeb shows, played well to both men and women. And ultimately, these ads helped usher in the twentieth century with the creation of a new the community of consumers.

Genres: History, Victorian

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Ava Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Lori Loeb my dissertation would be at 0 words without you

[Emily Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well researched and entertaining. Advertisers then had pretty much the same approach to advertising as it exists today. Being the first book on advertising that I've read, it really opened my eyes to how people are manipulated by current media.