Introduction For my research project, I have decided to go with Analysis 3. Analysis 3 primarily focuses on advertisements for chocolate in the late 19th century and early 20th century when chocolate was starting to begin its journey as the mass-produced product that it has become today. These include a Bird’s eye view of Fry’s Chocolate Factory in 19th-century Bristol, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is a Meal in itself, Cadbury’s cocoa makes men stronger. These three companies will be what I will focus on and their marketing tools that have led to chocolate being one of the most heavily consumed products for special occasions in the world. HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE 1. What aspects of the past would this source be most useful in illuminating? These sources would be best for advertising the way that chocolate was marketed by companies who were trying to figure out where Chocolate fit. The advertisement for the well-dressed woman in the center by Hershey’s is a good example of demographic targeting by companies. The differences in how different companies appeal to different consumers by linking them to personality traits that they associate with those classes. For example, the middle-class man in the Cadbury’s advertisement appears to be very hardworking and drinking the hot chocolate is advertised to improve his efficiency at work by making him ‘Stronger’. The Fry’s advertisement is trying to appeal to the lower classes by showing the vastness of the factory to demonstrate that they have the capacity to produce chocolate for everyone. It gives the impression of inclusivity. 2. Are there any limitations to the usefulness of this source? The only problem is that advertisements are very likely to offer glamourized caricatures of the consumers that they are trying to show. These caricatures that exist in these advertisements are probably not limited to chocolate, but all candy produced during this time. Candy advertisements were well known for perpetuating stereotypes about children and adults. BASIC IDENTIFICATION 3. What type of source is it? (map, letter, painting etc.) They are advertisements that were probably put up as Posters for people to see. They may have also advertised them in magazines or newspapers. 4. When was it created? The Hershey’s advertisement is from the early 20th century. The Cadbury’s advertisement is from the 1890’s and the JS Fry and sons’s factory advertisement is from the 19th century. 5. Who (if known) created it? Chocolate companies or manufacturers that are Cadbury’s, Hershey’s and JS Fry and sons. PURPOSE OF THE SOURCE 5. Why was this source created? What was its original purpose? From an advertising point of view, it would be to sell the companies chocolate product. The original purpose would be to sell the chocolate product and make revenue to continue selling more chocolate products. The advertisement also could be used as a tool to advertise the company for them to get their name established in the mind of the consumer. 6. Who is the intended audience for this source? For the Cadbury’s advertisement, it is the middle class as the man in the poster is clearly a middle class worker. The intended audience for the JS Fry and sons advertisement is the lower class. For the Hershey’s advertisement, it is the upper class. Essentially, the intended audience for these advertisements is a consumer. HISTORICAL CONTEXT 7. Under what specific historical circumstances was this source created? Chocolate was solidified by Coenraad Van Houten in 1828 which led to a chocolate revolution of sorts where chocolate was now available in a solid form. Historically, chocolate was in a liquid form so by the creation of solid chocolate blossomed the chocolate industry. Cadbury has been manufacturing chocolate since the 1800s and their marketing of products is so legendary that they have their own museum exhibits1. Companies were using advertisements to get their name out there and sell as many units of their products as they could. 8. What larger historical events, processes, or structures might have influenced this the creation of this source? The industrial revolution and mass manufacture were heavy influencers of the advertising of products. The way that products were produced in a factory and duplicates of exactly the same product could be produced in hundreds was a very experience at the time and these posters were a result of that momentum. The factory idea was able to create an environment where people were constantly thriving and products that were previously inaccessible for the lower classes were commodified so that they could indulge in things like chocolate, coffee, and tea. Things 1 BBC. “Cadbury Memorabilia” that felt off limits before were now being mass produced and mass advertised like the advertisements that are being discussed in this research paper. CONTENT OF THE SOURCE 9. What historical facts can we learn from this source? When chocolate was new, advertisers were figuring out who to advertise chocolate to. The advertisements reflect the chocolate industry trying to figure out it’s identity and whom to target for the greatest success. Today Chocolate is targeted towards everyone with a lot of advertisers focusing on the content of the chocolate rather than the consumer. The Garments worn by the children and woman belonging to the upper class are very expensive looking and would be an accurate depiction of clothing and garments worn during this time. The working-class man in the Cadbury’s advertisement has a very stylish mustache. It can be assumed that mustaches were very fashionable and someone in his station probably visited a barbershop regularly to maintain that allure. The architecture of Fry’s chocolate factory poster can give us an idea of what the industrial British landscape looked like. The design of the windows on the buildings and how far apart exits were. The lack of traffic on the road of the poster could suggest that very few people were able to afford automobiles and as such, most of the roads were mostly used as footpaths for walking pedestrians2. 10. What biases or other cultural factors might have shaped the message of this source? This source material is from the late 19th century which means that it is during the Victoria Era in England. This Era is from before the world war and pre-equality for women. It is also dealing with times of slavery and caste system inequality. The poor were expected to mingle with the 2 Elmsley et al. “London History” poor and the rich with the rich. That is why, it makes sense for companies like Cadbury and Hershey to have certain advertisements targeting certain groups currently. Cadbury is targeting the upper working class with showing their advertisement improving the working and living conditions of the workers by making them ‘Stronger’. Hershey’s advertisement is appealing to the upper-class families who would be expected to have more disposable income. By showing the people working in the shop to have less distinguishable features as they both look very ordinary, it makes them like objects in the room. This is an attempt by the company to say that even though lower-class workers are hired by the company, the attention will still be solely focused upon the upper-class customer. 11. What historical perspectives are left out of this source? What questions are left unanswered by this source? There are no coloured people in these advertisements. Was chocolate considered a solely Caucasian activity by the British or was it that the majority of the population in England at the time was Caucasian, so it made sense to advertise overly to the Caucasian population? Ryan Hanley argues that it was common for British people to see themselves as superior during this time period: “Racial prejudice, in the form of the assumed superiority of white Europeans over black Africans, was highly orthodox in early nineteenth-century Britain”3. This clearly explains why only Caucasian people are featured in these advertisements because they are stigmatized to be more important than the coloured classes. This is very difficult to understand because by looking at these advertisements, I come under the distinct impression that only Caucasian people exist in England at this time, only to later learn that these Chocolate companies are choosing to appease to only the Caucasian demographic and they are choosing to ignore the 3 Hanley, “Birth of Working Class Racism”. coloured people that exist. Learning that chocolate is only produced around the equator means that chocolate was very likely produced by coloured individuals who could have been featured as harvesting the cacao plant. Advertisers could have shown coloured populations cultivating the chocolate fruit that would be consumed by British consumers. However, these depictions could possibly be problematic also. The issue lies with the complete ignorance of their existence. The Fry’s company advertisement gives the powerful impression that Chocolate is created entirely in those factories and that it appears to advance the British Industrial revolution. It does not acknowledge that the chocolate being manufactured in those ‘British’ companies has been delivered from abroad. Other Questions that one might ask are: How did the Spanish populations living in South America feel about these Caucasian advertisements? Did they know about them? Do the Spanish feel comfortable with European companies’ mass manufacturing chocolate for profit? It was such an elite drink for centuries, would the Aztecs(if they still existed) feel comfortable with it being made to be available to everyone? Conclusion The history of chocolate is not just the history of a food but it is about the transference of the skills required for human existence from one civilization to another. It is about allowing the organic growth of ordinary substances to be transformed into something so phenomenal. It is amazing to track the journey of a single cacao plant to a candy bar and the advertisements that are a huge contributor to the development of chocolate as not just a product but as a worldwide phenomenon. Bibliography BBC West Midlands. “Cadbury memorabilia: Huge private collection displayed.” British Broadcasting Corporation. October 2, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england49907133 Clive Emsley, Tim Hitchcock and Robert Shoemaker. “London History – Transport.” Old Bailey Proceedings Online. December 18, 2020. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Transport.jsp Hanley, Ryan. “Slavery and the Birth of Working-Class Racism in England, 1814–1833 The Alexander Prize Essay.” Cambridge University Press. September 29, 2016. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/transactions-of-the-royal-historicalsociety/article/slavery-and-the-birth-of-workingclass-racism-in-england-18141833thealexander-prize-essay/3EE614F0996A6C28F811E272195A42C2.
