State Historical Society of Iowa

"Valuable Invention!" Advertisement, 1885

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, Dana, C.H., "Valuable invention!. Dana's premium cultivator ... [West Lebanon, N. H. 1855]," 1885

Description

This 1855 advertisement has two parts. The first part by the manufacturer makes claims about their new cultivator, while the second half contains testimonials from farmers confirming the claims. The claims about the device make the point that it is a time-saving device that does the work of multiple men.

Transcript of "Valuable Invention!" Advertisement

Source Dependent Questions

  • What selling points did the manufacturer give for calling his invention "Valuable" in the advertisement? Did the testimonials support the claims? Why or why not?
  • The article claims that one man could perform "the labor which it would require four men to perform with the common Cultivator." How could that be viewed as a negative aspect of the cultivator? For whom would it be negative?
  • What were the common opinions given by farmers in their testimonials about this device? How would you categorize what they said? What kinds of themes were repeated in the farmer testimonials? What correlations can be made between the testimonials for this product and the Baker's Plowing Machine Advertisement?

Citation Information

Dana, C.H., "Valuable invention!. Dana's premium cultivator ... [West Lebanon, N. H. 1855]," 1885. Courtesy of Library of Congress Courtesy of Library of Congress