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Somerville and New England History Collection
 
Trade cards such as the one pictured at left were a popular
way of advertising businesses and products from the 1870s to
the end of the century. Racist depictions of non-whites were
a common feature of Victorian advertisements, whatever the media.
The two Asians depicted here are almost certainly Chinese: the
Chinese were the Asian minority most commonly shown on trade
cards. One of them is a child, the other appears to be an adult
male but is very small and feminized. The underlying point is
that the Chinese - even adult Chinese men - are childlike and
not fully developed human beings. Their depiction as circus
performers reinforces the point: Asians (and other minorities)
are not to be taken seriously, and exist essentially for our
benefit (in this case, our amusement). The fact that the image
has nothing to do with the business being advertised (a bakery)
is beside the point. Like all advertisements, this card is meant
to provoke certain emotions: buy your bread from the J Weild
Bakery; it'll be fun - almost as fun as going to the circus.
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