Warner Corset Advertisement
USA, c. 1910. Director Thomas A. Edison. 3min.Though next to nothing is known about the production of the film, it was clearly constructed with a sophisticated combination of motion-picture technique and skilled salesmanship. Advertising was always important in the development of the Warner’s business, and the film reflects years of experience gained from the company’s extensive print advertising campaigns. It is a textbook example of product endorsement, employing methods that would later become standard in television commercials. A pair of children discovers a brand new Warner’s Corset in its original box of their mother’s dressing table. They proceed to vigorously tussle over it, playing a violent game of tug-of-war with the garment before dropping it repeatedly into bath water. When mother enters, the children expect worst but instead of scolding them, she turns to face the camera, smiling confidently. A title card proclaims: “Thank Goodness it’s Warner’s and it’s rustproof”. The film ends with a striking stop-motion sequence showing an animated corset rising into frame, unrolling and fastening and unfastening itself.
For further reading, see Sam Serafy’s essay Warner’s Corset Advertisement.
Past screenings:
Between Stigma and Enigma – London
Tuesday 16 May 2006, 20:30 | ICA Cinema
Screened as a part of the programme ‘The Enigma of the Fashion Object’. With an introduction by programme co-curator Marketa Uhlirova, and artist-filmmaker Anna-Nicole Ziesche in conversation with fashion designer Hamish Morrow.
The 1st Fashion in Film Festival – Prague
Thursday 28 September 2006, 20:30 | Kino Svetozor
The 1st Fashion in Film Festival – New York
Saturday 17 March 2007, 14:00 | Museum of the Moving Image
The 1st Fashion in Film Festival – Arnhem
Sunday 17 June 2007, 14:00 | Focus
