Commercial advertising as a transmitter of identity elements: Some examples of the murcian ephemera at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

One of the less treated sections of the visual representations of Murcia has been the comercial ephemera. For this reason, given its limited and fleeting use, it has often not been considerated as a valvable section in the history of art. But the truth is that the labels of canning factories, fruits, liquors and other establishments, from the last years of the 19th century based on the design spread the most significant identity elements of this territory throughout Spain and the rest the world. In the majority of cases, the advertising brand was based on prints and images of Murcian romantic costums that had already been consolidated during the 19th century for the social demand of this currens, in other cases they were adapted to the new aesthetic criteria of the 20th century. Finally, this way of advertising each product helped to panted the denomination of origin of various companies, mainly agry-food, and at the same time to assimilate it with this southeast region thanks to its architectural landmarks, the orchard or its popular types. This last premise is the one we will address within this study when contrasting them other previous representations.