Part III - Advertisements in Harper's Weekly

This last page of Harper's Weekly is very interesting, because it is the 'bazaar' as Hedley keenly labeled it earlier in her article. The page is full of advertisements for diamonds, magic medicine, gold pens, mink coats, brooms, knives, dresses– you name it. It is so diverse, that it seems to be a collage of things and ideas where every reader could find at least one that resonated with them, if not more. This is why I like to think of this page as a highlight of the American culture, or, at least, what Harper's publishers wanted American culture to look like. Hedley says that these advertisements ...display the hybridity of modern culture" (150) which is not something I completely agree with. The idea of hybridity insinuates that there are overlaps and interplays of things within the culture, and I see no hybridity on that page of advertisements. I see deliberation, distinction, and diversity, but no overlap. Each ad targets a specific person, with a specific need, or a specific desire. Harper's Weekly once again displays hospitality by catering to the masses, but asks something in return: loyalty. If the reader supports the businesses advertised, and becomes a better version of themselves, the general population will become more amiable, and the publishers will have succeeded in catering towards many different people, and uniting them under the banner of being collectively and individually American. 

This sea of advertisements is like parallel version of the sea of faces in the impeachment print– it is a reminder for the people, of the people, by the people. To elaborate, it is a reminder for the readers/consumers of what it means to be American and to embrace evolving American culture, determined by those engaged in capitalism's growing sway over the entire system. 

Works Cited

Hedley, Alison. “Advertisements, Hyper-Reading, and Fin De Siècle Consumer Culture in the Illustrated London News and the Graphic.” Victorian Periodicals Review, vol. 51, no. 1, 2018, pp. 150.