The Development of Commercial Literacy: Mail-Order Catalogues and Their Use in Early Twentieth-Century Sweden
(2022) In Media History 28(3). p.385-402- Abstract
- This article examines the role of Swedish mail-order catalogues in the everyday life of the early twentieth century, and in the development of consumer culture. The study deals with the materiality, content and distribution of the mail-order catalogues as well as their use in everyday life. The case of Åhlén & Holm, a major Swedish mail-order company, and its audience is relevant beyond the national context, since it demonstrates how extensive distribution of and interaction with commercial media can induce a crucial societal change such as the development of consumer culture. Arguing for a ‘media history from below’, the source material consists of responses to a qualitative questionnaire, besides catalogues and other material from... (More)
- This article examines the role of Swedish mail-order catalogues in the everyday life of the early twentieth century, and in the development of consumer culture. The study deals with the materiality, content and distribution of the mail-order catalogues as well as their use in everyday life. The case of Åhlén & Holm, a major Swedish mail-order company, and its audience is relevant beyond the national context, since it demonstrates how extensive distribution of and interaction with commercial media can induce a crucial societal change such as the development of consumer culture. Arguing for a ‘media history from below’, the source material consists of responses to a qualitative questionnaire, besides catalogues and other material from the company archive. The result shows that the mediated encounter with Åhlén & Holm provided its audience with a commercial literacy that entailed both an emancipation from the economic, geographical and social constraints of everyday life and a confinement in a commercial world. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/a8f78d28-8fa8-4129-900f-42f975d05d7e
- author
- Nilsson, Charlotte LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-06-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- mail order, catalogue, media history from below, early twentieth-century Sweden, commercial literacy
- in
- Media History
- volume
- 28
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 385 - 402
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85131297758
- ISSN
- 1469-9729
- DOI
- 10.1080/13688804.2022.2085084
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a8f78d28-8fa8-4129-900f-42f975d05d7e
- date added to LUP
- 2022-06-09 21:26:46
- date last changed
- 2022-10-31 14:57:39
@article{a8f78d28-8fa8-4129-900f-42f975d05d7e,
abstract = {{This article examines the role of Swedish mail-order catalogues in the everyday life of the early twentieth century, and in the development of consumer culture. The study deals with the materiality, content and distribution of the mail-order catalogues as well as their use in everyday life. The case of Åhlén & Holm, a major Swedish mail-order company, and its audience is relevant beyond the national context, since it demonstrates how extensive distribution of and interaction with commercial media can induce a crucial societal change such as the development of consumer culture. Arguing for a ‘media history from below’, the source material consists of responses to a qualitative questionnaire, besides catalogues and other material from the company archive. The result shows that the mediated encounter with Åhlén & Holm provided its audience with a commercial literacy that entailed both an emancipation from the economic, geographical and social constraints of everyday life and a confinement in a commercial world.}},
author = {{Nilsson, Charlotte}},
issn = {{1469-9729}},
keywords = {{mail order; catalogue; media history from below; early twentieth-century Sweden; commercial literacy}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{385--402}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Media History}},
title = {{The Development of Commercial Literacy: Mail-Order Catalogues and Their Use in Early Twentieth-Century Sweden}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13688804.2022.2085084}},
doi = {{10.1080/13688804.2022.2085084}},
volume = {{28}},
year = {{2022}},
}