Campbell Soup Advertising in Good Housekeeping, 1905 – 1920
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MOTHERS, MILITANTS, MARTYRS, & “M’M! M’M! GOOD!” TAMING THE NEW WOMAN: CAMPBELL SOUP ADVERTISING IN GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, 1905 – 1920 Lori S. Liggett A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2006 Committee: Dr. Marilyn F. Motz, Advisor Dr. A. Rolando Andrade Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Jeannie Ludlow Dr. Philip G. Terrie © 2006 Lori S. Liggett All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Dr. Marilyn F. Motz, Advisor Various scholars have examined the historical development of women’s consumer magazines, the advertisements of product manufacturers, and the social construction of the idealized American woman. This study is a qualitative historical analysis of the dramatic cultural turn that took place during the early decades of the twentieth century and how those changes were expressed within the editorial content of Good Housekeeping and the advertisements of iconic food producer, the Campbell Soup Company. Both positioned themselves as vital to women’s education, thereby having a significant effect on the traditional private sphere of womanhood and the male-dominated public sphere. During the years of this study, 1905-1920, the United States was in the midst of rapidly transforming from a small-scale agricultural economy to consumer capitalism, which profoundly reshaped the essential structure of society and changed the fundamental nature of everyday life. The mass production and wide distribution of goods created new public concerns, such as the safety of the food supply and the veracity of advertising claims made by product manufacturers. On the surface, it appeared that Good Housekeeping and Campbell Soup primarily intended to inculcate white, middle-class women in a discourse of consumerism, most often represented by idealized images of the modern New Woman. However, as this study demonstrates, the cultural work done by both entities was far more complex than just instilling consumerist behavior in women. iv Early on, Good Housekeeping tapped into women’s desire for political participation, and the magazine actively encouraged their mobilization in order to tackle significant national issues, such as purifying the food supply, lowering the infant mortality rate, promoting temperance, maintaining the home front during war, and supporting suffrage. While these efforts were supposed to take place in a manner not detrimental to home life, they did in fact provide an opening for women to have demonstrable impact on American culture and history. Campbell Soup typically promoted traditional roles for women, but it too became a vital component in shaping attitudes about what it meant to be a modern woman, wife, and mother in the early twentieth century--most often embodied in the idealized images of the New Woman. v Dedicated in loving memory to . Peter Martin Calvisi, July 18, 1959 – May 22, 2003 My beloved Pete – we thought we had a lifetime to figure it all out, but unfortunately, fate had other ideas. The world is a far less interesting place without you in it, Peter-chan. You will be forever in my heart and mind. “How I wish, how I wish you were here . .” Vicki Lynn Schneider, November 26, 1959 – April 15, 2004 My wonderful doppelganger cousin, Vicki. No one could ever light up a room the way your smile and laughter did. Your intelligence, sense of humor, and deep spirituality inspired me, and I only regret that we cannot grow old together. You were beautiful inside and out, and your steadfast love and support meant everything to me. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the participation, advice, and support of the members of my dissertation committee and thank them for seeing me through to the end. I appreciate the compassion and kind wisdom of my advisor, Dr. Marilyn F. Motz, who provided the positive energy that was so essential to the completion of this project. The “angel on my shoulder” throughout this entire process and graduate school in general has been Dr. Jeannie Ludlow, without whom, I surely would have been lost. Dr. Phil Terrie and Dr. Rolando Andrade have been steadfast in their commitment to my project throughout many life transitions, both theirs and mine. I extend heartfelt appreciation to all of them. Several archival collections provided the necessary resource materials that form the basis of this study. While the Good Housekeeping archives in New York are not open to the public, Susanne Williams, Director of Consumer & Reader Services for the organization, graciously sent me a majority of the Campbell’s Soup advertisements that I needed to complete the project. To my surprise, Good Housekeeping’s editor-in-chief, Ellen Levine, kindly gave me a copy of Aric Chen’s book, Campbell Kids: A Souper Century, soon after it was published. In addition, Beth Bartle, Archivist at the Campbell Soup Company World Headquarters in Camden, New Jersey, was helpful in answering any questions I posed to her, and she as well provided a number of Campbell’s Soup advertisements that were so critical to the development of my work. I also spent countless hours pouring over every Good Housekeeping issue between 1885 and 1920, and I would like to thank the staff members at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, vii the Buhr Archives at the University of Michigan, the Oberlin College Library, and Bowling Green State University’s Jerome Library for answering my questions and providing me with research space. I also would like to express sincere gratitude to the many educators, mentors, colleagues, and friends, who have contributed significantly to my growth as a scholar and teacher over the years: Dr. Jeffrey Chown (Northern Illinois University), Dr. Gary Burns (NIU), Dr. Martha Cooper (NIU, 1954-2000), Dr. Laura Vazquez (NIU), Dr. Donald McQuarie (Bowling Green State University), Dr. Donald G. Nieman (BGSU), Dr. Lucy Long (BGSU), Dr. William Grant (BGSU, retired), Dr. Ewart Skinner (BGSU), Dr. Peter Shields (Eastern Washington University), and Mr. Dick Edwards. I also greatly appreciate the significant advice and assistance given to me during the research portion of this project by my friend and colleague, Dr. Margaret Weinberger. In addition, my students in the Department of Telecommunications at Bowling Green State University provide daily inspiration, and they motivated me to continue the pursuit of a Ph.D. I will always be thankful for the many individual students who have had a lasting impact on my life. My family and friends provided the love and courage I needed to pursue a doctoral degree and to complete the writing of my dissertation--without them, I fear the task would have been insurmountable. I offer much thanks to my dearest friends, Janet Von Kaenel, Tom Kraft, Jonathan Reiner, Virginia McNamara, and Lynn Farthing. I also appreciate the important family relationships that always keep me grounded--especially my sisters and brothers, and my many nieces and nephews. More specifically, I owe a noteworthy debt of gratitude to several members of my family, who did the best they viii could to sustain me throughout this process. I am blessed to have the continual loving support of my remarkable mother, Linda Sue Gordon, and my sisters, Lisa Liggett Edie and Leanna Liggett Reed, and my extraordinary 14-year-old nephew, Ethan Wayne Edie. Lastly, there are three significant people in my life, who were particularly instrumental in helping me to succeed in the final writing stage of this dissertation. All are dear friends and confidantes whom I trust and adore. During the past two years, Carolyn Lea and I became writing partners, mutual cheerleaders, and co-counselors, and I only hope that a year from now she is putting the final touches on her own project. Dr. Molly Swiger has been a best friend and advisor for more than a decade, and I appreciate her sweet, gentle way that has always sustained me throughout life’s many ups and downs. And finally, sometimes strength and support arrive from the most unexpected places, and thus I must express loving thanks to the incomparable David Hosmer, who often believes in me more than I ever believe in myself, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ............................................................ 1 Who Was the New Woman?...................................................................................... 6 A Confluence of Circumstances ................................................................................ 16 A Word about Primary Sources ................................................................................. 21 Study Theory and Methodology ................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER II. CAMPBELL’S SOUP TAKES CENTER STAGE ...................................... 45 Women at the Epicenter of Cultural Change ............................................................. 49 Mr. Campbell’s Soup: An American Icon ................................................................ 52 The Grand Old Brand: Early History of the Campbell Soup Company ................... 59 Condensed Soup: English Thoroughness and French Art ........................................ 73 CHAPTER III. THE POWER OF MRS. CONSUMER....................................................... 89 The Idealized American Woman ............................................................................... 91 The New Woman Faces the Twentieth Century.......................................................