Constructions of the Past and the Present

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Constructions of the Past and the Present
2014

Power comes through the acquisition of knowledge from a constructed society, and advertisements are channels that project this power onto the people. They instigate people to feel a sense of superiority, or a need to reach a position of absoluteness.
Every advertisement, according to the space and time in which it is being produced, takes a context in which this power and absoluteness can be realised. Soap advertisements have been important throughout history in highlighting the psychological state of society. It can be seen that Pears’ Soap advertisements contain moments captured from the past. They hold in them, the context in which they were disseminated. A strong example to support my observations would be the Pears’ Soap advertisement that was out in the public, in India, during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Advertisement for Pears' Soap taken from The Times of India Annual, 1929. Courtesy British Empire & Commonwealth Museum [1]

There are three principle subjects in the advertisement above. One is the female figure, who is the goddess Lakshmi, second is the baby in her left hand, and third is the text that is centred at the base of the advertisement. The text highlights the lotus as being a symbol for purity, and here, purity has been indirectly associated with fairness. The concept of white being pure, and black being impure, had been present in the mind-sets of the people because of the surrounding Western media influences. The lotus has a pinkish-white complexion, even though it is floating on contaminated water. So, the advertisement is trying to show the strength of the soap in terms of cleanliness. The presence of a baby in the advertisement, who seems to have just come out of a bath, implies that the soap is extremely gentle on the skin, and preserves tenderness and moisture. Lakshmi holds the child in her left hand, and a mace in the right hand, equipped to protect the child from any difficulty or harm. Lakshmi, wearing jewellery and a sari with a golden border, sitting on a lotus with a confident and authoritative expression, is given the highest position in the field of beauty, youth and glow. As Lakshmi is portrayed as a young beautiful woman, and the text suggests beauty to be godlike, it is clear that Pears’ Soap has the power to make one as beautiful as a goddess. So, through the woman, child and lotus, the advertisement is saying that Pears’ Soap will take care of you like a mother takes care of her child, and your skin will blossom like a fresh pure lotus. Also, the border that surrounds the image looks like an entrance to the world of Pears’ Soap. So, not just the elements, but also the placement of the elements in the advertisement is constructed to be inviting for people. The door is open for us to enter, and on the other side of it lies purity like that of a lotus, and beauty like that of a goddess. Getting a hold of these two intangibles is possible only if we use Pears’ Soap.

India has had a religious majority of Hindus, who believe in idol worship of numerous deities, but in 1929, this Hindu identity was being threatened by the Christian missionaries that had been extremely active over the past few decades. [2] India’s belief system was shaken, and this added to the insecurities that were already present in the country on account of still being a colony under the British Raj. This advertisement encompasses in it the then prevalent subjects of identity and freedom, and consists of multiple layers of meanings, or connotations beneath the obvious ones I have already briefly talked about.

The unofficial, but popularly known flag that got approved by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the session of 1921 of the All India Congress Committee, initially had just the colours red and green in it. They represented the two major communities of Hindus and Muslims, respectively. Then, Gandhi realised that other communities have been neglected, so he added a band of white that depicted them. It also symbolised peace among all. The bands of colours on the flag, from top to bottom appeared as white, green and red. The flag also had a blue charkha, or a spinning wheel in the centre, symbolising self-sufficiency, and life in movement and death in stagnation. [3] In the Pears’ advertisement, Goddess Lakshmi is elaborately dressed in a red and green sari and blouse. The colours of the clothes she is wearing were national symbols for India at that time, and so Lakshmi is not just the one who possesses the highest authority of beauty, she is the strength of the nation. The country at that time was in a fragile condition, but it was also the time of change, as Indian nationalism was on the rise. This advertisement was printed in The Times of India that along with The Statesman supported Indian nationalism. Both these newspapers printed in English were started by Robert Knight, an Englishman, and reached a large number of Indians, making them aware of political issues and processes. [4] At this time, when people were coming together to gain freedom from the British Empire, and re-establish their identities, a new nation was being born. The child portrays the country in a state of nakedness and vulnerability, as it starts to separate from the body of the colonisers, who provided this child with nutrition not like a mother, but like a ruler. The country’s forced dependency on the British was questioned the way it had never been. Now, the country had fallen in safe and protective hands, like that of a mother. Lakshmi here can be seen to be symbolic of freedom fighters who had taken upon themselves the responsibility of nurturing this nation, and protecting it from foreign agents.

Lakshmi has eight forms, and one of the forms is called Dhaanya Lakshmi (Goddess of Food Grains). [5] This is the form that carries a mace in one of the hands. This goddess holds all the nutrients and minerals required for a healthy body and mind. So, the representation of a new-born country in the hands of the one who can give complete nourishment, could not have better portrayed the idea of a developing nation that was starting to build resistance against the repressions of the world. There is also a striking difference in the expression of Lakshmi in this advertisement from her usual one. The calm smiling face has been replaced by a determined look that emits a will to not give in. The lotus here too is a symbol of purity, which depicts the rise of a nation out of dark times, while the carved frame that borders the entire scene becomes the entrance for the nation into a world where one’s life is not dictated by others, and there is self- sufficiency, and independence. The background is still dark, but the lightness with which the goddess sits on the lotus, with the child and the mace in her hands, and a bright light falling on them, projects the hope of a positive future for the country. A metaphoric relationship with this positivity can be also be observed in the roots of the banyan tree that hang loose in the air, in the background, but are in the process of attaining a firm hold in the ground. This advertisement was very relevant in those times, as it captured to a great extent people’s doubts, insecurities and desires concerning India at that time.

Time and space play a crucial role in the realisation of the significance of an advertisement, as it is not possible to recognise symbolism, or observe connotations, unless the advertisement is looked at with a knowledge of the kind of society it existed in.

‘Bubbles’ (1885-6) by Sir John Everest Millais [6]

The painting known as ‘Bubbles’, which was earlier called ‘A Child’s World’ was painted by the artist Sir John Everest Millais in 1885-6. In the 17th Century, through the paintings of Dutch artists, a discourse about bubbles was created. Since the Thirty Years’ War was fought in Europe from 1618 to 1648, and was one of the longest and the most disastrous wars in modern history, its impact on Europeans of all classes was extensive. It was estimated that 25% to 40% of the German population would be wiped out due to the war and the diseases that spread thereafter. [7]

This was the time when bubbles became symbols of the brevity of human life, the transience of beauty and the inevitability of death. Children blowing bubbles were frequently painted by artists then, to depict the state of life in those days.

In the painting sits Willie James, the grandson of Millais, blowing soap bubbles by dipping a pipe in a bowl of soap suds. [8] He is sitting on a stone in clothes that were then the best clothes of the elite. So, the boy is not a destitute. In fact, he belongs to a well-to-do family. He is looking up at a soap bubble with a worried and curious expression. On his right lies a broken flower pot, while on his left is a plant present in darkness. The painting was created with the concept of bubbles being associated with death. Even the title ‘A Child’s World’ was given to the painting, as children live in a life that is full of questions, and free of worries. Their world is a whole new space that rarely intersects with the problems of the world on the outside, but like a soap bubble, the bubble in which a child lives also does not have a long life. Contrary to the lives of children, which have a reality that is different from that of the rest of the world, Willie in the painting looks at the bubble not with excitement, but with fear and concern. It seems that he is not looking at the bubble as a beautiful formation that is magically floating in the air, but as a sphere that is about to disappear. He looks like he is aware of the fact that the bubble is going to burst any moment.

When Millais painted Bubbles, he used this symbolism of bubbles that could be traced back to the paintings of the 17th Century, but since the time and situations had changed by the end of the 19th Century, the discourse built up on the subject of bubbles had also adapted to the change, and was produced differently.

This painting was created in the Victorian Era when children were not seen as they were, in the 17th Century European paintings. This transformation took place, and can be seen through paintings like The Age of Innocence by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1788, and ‘And When did you last see your father?’ by William Frederick Yeames in 1878. [9] Children, in some 17th Century paintings, were depicted as victims of violence and disease as opposed to a century later, when they were made to possess innocence and sweetness. So, after Bubbles was painted, Victorians could not relate to the previously existing seriousness in the meanings that the bubbles and children held in paintings.

This does not mean that the condition of Europe was in perfect condition with no disparities. In the 19th century, the population of Great Britain had increased by three times [10], so there was a rise in unemployment and child labour. The poor lived in a gloomy world, but at the same time, the wealthy flourished. So, by portraying a wealthy child in the painting, it is clear that the artist did not intend for the painting to carry the essence of the present, but the ideas of the past.

This painting, with its copyright was sold to Sir William Ingram, Proprietor of the London Illustrated News, and then seeing the painting’s potential, A & F Pears, manufacturers of Pears’ Soap bought it with exclusive copyright. Thomas Barrett, the Managing Director of Pears, used the painting for an advertisement of Pears’ Soap, by adding a bar of soap in the foreground. Subsequently, the painting became the most famous of all his works. [11] So, was it just the reproduction of the painting through an advertisement that made the artwork reach a large audience?

Pears’ Soap advertisement printed on postcards at the end of the 19th Century with the same image, but a variety of captions.

The advertisement changed the concept of bubbles and children in the painting, which led to the formation of an alternate meaning of the painting that became more acceptable and understandable in that time, than the original idea. So, the advertisement captured well, the knowledge that existed then, and it gained the power to build a connection with the people. The soap bubble, from being related to a heavy and intense history, acquired a lightness, or verticality in the advertisement. Bubbles now reflected fascination and beauty. Pears’ Soap lying on the ground suggests that the bubble is from that soap. So, it is only Pears’ Soap that is capable of making a short life beautiful, by preserving tenderness and innocence in its translucency. The child no longer seems to be out in the world, dealing with difficulties. He sits lost in his own world, playing with bubbles, with no one around to worry him. Pears’ Soap travels with him into his world as a companion, and keeps him untouched by his dark surroundings. With him sitting in the light that seems to fall just on him, it almost feels like Pears’ soap has created a bubble around him to protect him from dirt and darkness. He looks pure, and his skin feels soft. So, this advertisement conveys that by using Pears’ soap, not only will one get clean and tender skin, one will also be able to forget all worries and build a world of one’s own, where fascination will always be present. The soap gives people the power to transform their world into a purer and a more beautiful one.

Change in discourse over time is inevitable, and advertisements for Pears’ Soap have been able to adapt to this change. They have been successful in gathering available knowledge, and using people’s desire to gain power as a tool to sell the product.

In the course of time, there have been drastic changes in the meanings associated with concepts constructed in society. It is also said that change is constant, but then the ultimate aim of advertisements has been the same forever, and they achieve it by converting people into carriers of illusory absoluteness.

References

1. http://www.culture24.org.uk/places-to-go/south-west/bristol/art18195

2. Suthren Hirst, Jacqueline, and John Savos. “Deity.” Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia. Routledge, 2013. 28-30. Print

3. http://knowindia.gov.in/myindia/myindia_frame.php?id=4

4. Edwin Hirschmann, "An Editor Speaks for the Natives: Robert Knight in 19th Century India," Journalism Quarterly (1986). pp 260-267.
5. http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/-know-more-about-ashtalakshmi-the-8-forms-of-lakshmi--29920.html?page=5

6. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/picture-of-month/displaypicture.asp?venue=7&id=299

7. Lockhart, Paul Douglas (2007). Denmark, 1513–1660: the rise and decline of a Renaissance monarchy. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 0-19-927121-6. Retrieved 7 August 2009. "Thirty Years War". www.infoplease.com. Retrieved 24 May 2008.

8. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/picture-of-month/displaypicture.asp?venue=7&id=299

9. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections/19c/yeames.aspx

10. http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk/articles/poverty.html

11. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/picture-of-month/displaypicture.asp?venue=7&id=299