ABSTRACT

This chapter presents our research design for analyzing the historical development of advertisements through four cultural frames (idolatry, iconology, narcissism, and totemism) from the early twentieth century through 1980. Our design emerges out of the advantages and disadvantages of both content analysis and semiotics. The research follows categories of people, products, and forms of well-being separately, as well as keeps track of their interactions, revealing significant patterns in each period and changes in the development of modern advertising. This study of magazine advertisements remains valuable as a historical study and methodological model for approaching advertisements as rich socio-cultural texts.