Study Task 3; Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis of Lucia Lerner's illustration for McCall magazine, September 1953.

Lucia Lerner's illustration was created September 1953 for the magazine 'McCall's'. McCall's first issue came out in 1873, therefore making it a rather established and well known magazine by the time this illustration was made for it. Traditionally McCall's was designed for and aimed at women, most likely of an upper class background, it was released monthly and distributed around the USA. Around this time of this illustration being printed, World War 2 had been over for eight years, there was a sense of optimism and the rebirth and rebuilding of a new, and brighter future for those living in the USA. New technologies such as TV's were slowly becoming more widely available and society was hopeful and excited for the future, it was the age of advertising. People wanted to be modern and new, to buy into the idea of the America Dream, and all the accessories that came with it.

The illustration itself was formed with washes of gouache and india ink lines, much like many of the illustrations created around this time frame for advertising or editorial pieces. Lerner herself had also undertaken numerous advertising and editorial illustration jobs making herself rather renowned within the discipline of illustration. The fact that she was a woman in a predominately male industry of the time also made her rather unique. 

Simply the image shows a woman and two men in what appears to be an educational environment. The figures seem to be happy and relaxed. They're dressed in smart clothes and appear to be of an upper class background. The molecule constructions and amount of books also indicate to an air of sophistication and good education. This dreamy charm sits well with the notion that these people are doing extremely well for themselves, which when paired with the fact that this illustration is for advertising purposes, can be seen as a persuasive device used to entice the viewer into purchasing the product. The people in the illustration are clearly an interpretation of the perfect American life, and they're advertising the cleaning product Orlon, which by deduction would mean that perfect American's use Orlon products. They're educated and happy, and both the males are taking a clear interest in the female, and all because her fabrics are kept soft and full of life due to this one product being advertised. The alliterative phrase 'fall fashions to keep their figure' grabs attention by being phonetically memorable, while the noun 'figure' throws up connotations of a woman's figure and body, and in an era of newness and hope, no woman would want her clothes and body to lack figure. The adjective 'new' also buys into the concept of a new and optimistic America, no one would want to be left behind, and this product won't let you be left behind! The formal syntax of the accompanying article also implies that this product is meant for those of a higher class, therefore not only reassuring those of a higher class that this is the product for them, but reaching out to the lower classes to show them what they could be. What they could have. By buying this product the viewers are buying into the idea of a perfect American lifestyle, as illustrated by Lucia Lerner.