Advertising and images of female interaction with early recorded music technology, 1905-1948

by 1981- Burchfield, Rebekah

The recorded music industry flourished in the early twentieth century, a time when American culture was characterized by a new consumption ethic. Women were central to the new consumer culture and thus became central to the success of the recorded music and radio industries. This study examined 163 advertisements for phonographs, records, radios, and radio programming that appeared in the Ladies’ Home Journal, the Saturday Evening Post, and the American Magazine from 1905-1948. Using the theory of iconology, this study analyzed thematic portrayals of women and appeals to female consumers in the images and texts of advertisements. This study found that advertisements encouraged women to regard the regular purchase of records and consumption of radio as vital to maintaining a happy home and personal well-being.