Well-dressed Men with Beer

By Laura Loop

One piece that truly defines the United States as a nation is its extensive and particularly detailed military status. It defines many of our relationships with other countries, as well as keeps us safe from harm in times of need.  Throughout recorded history, one of the most common pieces of the written record is war and military propaganda. Some pieces are obvious in their intent, but military propaganda became so integrated in the pop culture that defined the early 1900s that common propaganda themes became a part of the cartoons being printed on postcards.

Depicted on many of the postcards in the David P. Campbell Postcard Collection are middle aged white men, well dressed in clothing (and also wearing hats) that resembles uniforms, while holding mugs of beer; some promise to show you a jolly good time.

Though there are no obvious ties to the armed forces, there are similarities that appeal to a military based crowd. People were comforted by the appearance of well-dressed men (holding beer?) who may have been in uniform; at the time, the armed forces were looked at as a symbol of hope and prosperity as a new nation. Using this imagery to help sell postcards and aid in communication between individuals serves as a major part in American history.

Not only were postcards an effective and cost efficient way of communication, especially while serving in the armed forces, it also gave Americans a diversified way to put their money back into circulation by buying government stamps and utilizing the post office.

Postcards can even show feelings through their art, how they might be feeling home sick, or missing a loved ones home cooked meals (as shown above), many of the powerful feelings that can be gathered from a simple cartoon drawing have such a significant impact on American culture and lifestyle.

 

 

Sources:

The Peak and Decline of the Golden Age http://www.metropostcard.com/history1907-1913.html

The American “Great White Fleet” Postcards of 1908 http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/united-states/american-fleet-postcards-of-1908/

At postcard.uakron.edu, you can find the entire collection of David P. Campbell’s postcard collection. The collection is currently being housed at the CCHP’s Institute for Human Science and Culture. This blog was brought to you by a current student of the University of Akron in attempt to make the collection of postcards accessible to a wider variety of audiences.