What was the social advertising in tsarist Russia: charity, tobacco, baths, etc

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many things and phenomena around us, which sometimes seem to us to be signs of our time, were in fact invented for a very long time. For example, in pre-revolutionary Russia, more than a hundred years ago, social advertising was widespread. Some of the themes of this powerful social tool are still familiar to us today, but some will seem very strange.

The history of PSA dates back to 1906, when the American Civil Association created the first posters calling for the protection of Niagara Falls from the harm caused by energy companies - a very modern topic, by the way. However, in our country you can find much earlier examples. So, for example, since the times of Peter the Great, “edifying splints” were popular among the people - pictures on which simple and eternal truths were explained in an accessible form: “you shouldn't drink”, “gambling can lead to trouble”, “you have to obey your husband.

The edifications were presented in simple and understandable language, as, for example, in such an advertisement:

This topic has always been our favorite topic for teaching. By the 20th century, such posters were striking in detail and high artistic level:

By the way, advertising in pre-revolutionary Russia was really distinguished by its colorfulness and precise, thoughtful images. This is not surprising, because some samples were created by eminent artists - Victor and Apollinary Vasnetsov, Mikhail Vrubel, Boris Kustodiev, Leon Bakst and others.

Another important topic was, of course, charity. The frequent crop failures and famine in the villages were a reason to show mercy. I must say that social advertising was then very specific. People were called not to abstract concepts, but to quite definite actions. Like buying charitable items on specific dates. Specified and to whom exactly the collected funds will help.

The movement of the White Flower enjoyed separate support from the royal family. This program to combat tuberculosis originated in Sweden, where on May 1, 1908, a day of solidarity with people suffering from this dangerous disease was celebrated on a large scale. Pharmacy chamomile, a natural remedy for fighting tuberculosis, has become a symbol of the movement. The holiday migrated from Sweden, first to Finland, then to Poland and the Russian Empire. It was in our country that he received the support of the "highest level", since the Romanov family still remembered the tragedy of 1864, when the young heir to the throne Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, the son of Alexander II, died of tuberculous meningitis during a trip to Italy. His death came very unexpectedly and shocked the whole family.

Then the First World War broke out and social advertising became an effective means of communication between the government and the people. As the load on the country's economy increased many times over, the posters began to urge people to give their money at interest (the so-called "war loans")

Moreover, funds for the front were collected by separate professional groups: artists, painters, firefighters and many others:

A separate group of posters called on all people to help the soldiers with a specific purpose. So, for example, they collected funds "For tobacco", "For books" and even "For portable baths in the trenches."

After the Revolution, the idea of social advertising was taken up by the new leadership of the country and became a powerful and effective way of creating public opinion.