The representation of baby food advertisements in the UK and the US from the late 1880s to the 1940s

Baby food is a commercial category that includes products such as baby formula for infants and purée food for weaning babies. Its industrialised production in the United Kingdom and in the USA starts in the late nineteenth century with the technological advancements in food preservation (Broomfield, 2020; Stevens et al., 2009). The mass commercialisation of baby food contributed to a flourishing of advertisements aimed at promoting these products to potential customers. Two of the most popular British brands of the period are Allenbury and Mellin. Allenbury was the commercial name of the pharmaceutical manufacturer ‘Allen and Hanburys Ltd’. The study analyses a sample of baby food advertisements commissioned by Allenbury and Mellin at the early stages of their business, namely from the late 1880s to the 1940s. More specifically, a visual and verbal analysis is conducted to see how children are characterised, both visually and verbally, in these advertisements. The aim of the study is to understand the extent to which baby food advertisements between the 1880s and the 1940s are a reflection of the changing role of children in British and American society.