A Philadelphia light horse trooper, 1775 1890 - 1907

Curator: Edward Penfield created this poster, "A Philadelphia Light Horse Trooper, 1775," sometime between 1890 and 1907. What strikes you immediately about it? Editor: The colors, muted but distinct, set a peculiar mood. It's a historical depiction, but the flat planes and deliberate simplification create a distance—a commercial coolness. You feel that most strongly, no? Curator: I agree about the coolness. Penfield worked as an art director for *Harper’s Weekly*. This imagery evokes the values of order and tradition—ideal for projecting an image of steadfastness in clothing, perhaps. Editor: Precisely! Let’s consider the materiality. The poster form itself—a relatively inexpensive and mass-producible medium. This wasn't high art intended for elite collectors. This poster was trying to reach the common man, the growing middle class, through accessible visual culture. Curator: Beyond mere advertising, I wonder about its deeper symbolic layers. The horse, throughout history, is a symbol of power and freedom, but also discipline. And the uniform, designed for these troopers to stand apart... Editor: Symbols adopted strategically by manufacturers—like Hart, Schaffner & Marx—who grasped the power of visual shorthand. The ‘trooper’ is no longer merely a soldier; it's a figure imbued with respectability, strength, qualities they hoped their clothing would also convey. Think also about production: where the textiles sourced? How the garments produced and under what conditions? It all accumulates as we engage the image. Curator: So, a blend of martial stoicism and budding consumerism… fascinating how historical narratives can be bent to new needs, creating a layered text. Editor: Exactly. Seeing how material objects and symbols become intertwined, we gain valuable insight into how narratives evolve alongside the means to propagate and commercialize them.