Help Me Understand This!

[00:00:00]Wear cute pajamas to bed. You never know who you'll meet in your dreams. Guess I just stopped sleeping naked then. Gosh darn it.

[00:00:14]So, I couldn't help but notice on this old advertisement for Graham crackers that every single one of these children have really bright red rosy cheeks.

[00:00:26]And I don't know why.

[00:00:29]So, of course, the teacher in me wanted to find out more about it. And so, what do I do? I turned to Scout GPT.

[00:00:38]>> That's a great observation. Scout loves old advertising like this. The rosy red cheeks on children in vintage advertisements from the late 1800s through the 1940s were usually intentional artistic choices, not an accurate depiction of how children looked everyday. Advertisers and illustrators used them for several reasons. One, to symbolize good health.

[00:01:01]At the time, plump faces and rosy cheeks were associated with healthy, well-fed children. Um, since this is a Graham Crackers advertisement, the message is essentially feed your children our product and they'll be healthy.

[00:01:16]Two, to suggest outdoor living and fresh air. Before air conditioning and modern medicine, spending time outdoors was considered one of the best ways to stay healthy. Rosy cheeks evoked children who had been playing outside. Three, printing limitations. Early color printing often relied on bold reds and pinks that reproduced well. Artists exaggerated cheek color because subtle skin tones didn't print consistently.

[00:01:41]Number four, marketing psychology.

[00:01:44]Bright red cheeks made children appear happier, more energetic, and more appealing. It caught shoppers attention on a store shelf. Looking at your sign, the children's cheeks are far redder than would be natural, which tells me the illustrator was deliberately emphasizing vitality and health rather than realism. Interestingly, this same style appeared on advertisements for products like Campbell soup, Quaker oats, cream of wheat, baby food, milk, breakfast cereals.

[00:02:13]Rosy cheek children became almost a visual shorthand for this food builds healthy kids. It's a charming piece of Americana and a neat glimpse into how advertisers of the era tried to reassure parents that the foods they were buying would produce strong, healthy children.

[00:02:30]>> We found this old portrait here and Jamie had a really >> interesting observation and it's so true. No one is smiling.

[00:02:40]>> Old photographs, no one ever smiles.

[00:02:43]>> It was just not what people did. The people did not smile.

[00:02:46]>> They looked pleasant >> some >> pleasantish.

[00:02:50]>> This guy looks terrified. He looks like this might be their their wedding or engagement photo and he is like terrified of his future.

[00:02:57]>> Well, let's find out why.

[00:02:59]>> That's one of the biggest misconceptions about 19th century photography. People did smile sometimes, but there were several reasons why serious expressions were much more common. Looking at your photograph, it appears to be from roughly the 1880s to early 1900s, and the formal unsmiling poses fit that era.

[00:03:20]Here are the main reasons. Long exposure times. Early cameras often required people to hold perfectly still for several seconds and sometimes longer.

[00:03:30]Holding a broad smile without moving was difficult, while a neutral expression was easier.

[00:03:36]Photography was expensive for many families. This might have been the only photograph they ever had taken. They treated it the way we might treat an official portrait today with dignity and seriousness. Influence of painted portraits. Photography inherited traditions from portrait painting where wealthy families were usually depicted with calm composed expressions. Smiling wasn't considered the proper look for a formal portrait.

[00:04:03]Dental health. Many people had missing or damaged teeth, so they may have preferred to keep their mouths closed.

[00:04:09]Different social norms. In the Victorian era, a broad grin in a formal portrait could be seen as childish or lacking self-control. A composed face conveyed respectability and character. Your photo also has a few interesting details. Um, it looks like a multi-generational family portrait with older adults seated and younger adults standing behind them.

[00:04:32]The gentleman in front holding the cane was likely one of the family's elders or patriarch. The ornate studio backdrop and furniture indicate this was taken by a professional photographer, making it a special occasion. One interesting fact, candid snapshots didn't become common until small handheld cameras like the Kodak became popular in the early 1900s.

[00:04:54]Once photography became easier and cheaper, smiles became much more common because people were capturing everyday moments instead of formal occasions.

[00:05:04]Scout's favorite comparison is this. If someone today is getting a passport photo, a military portrait, or a graduation portrait, they usually don't laugh out loud. They pose for families in the 1800s. Almost every photograph was treated with that same level of formality.

[00:05:24]>> So, we all know that Cabbage Patch Kids were quite the rave in the 80s.

[00:05:30]>> Heck yeah, I had one. Her name was Althia. She looked like this girl right here, except for my my braids were not my pigtails were not braided. She did have pigtails though and no pacifier in mine.

[00:05:41]But do you know the conspiracies behind it?

[00:05:46]That's a good question for the chat GPT.

[00:05:50]That's a great find. The tray itself looks like a vintage 1980s cabbage patch kids serving tray, probably from the height of the craze. As for conspiracies, Cabbage Patch Kids have accumulated several over the years. Most are urban legends with no credible evidence behind them, but they're fascinating pieces of pop culture.

[00:06:10]Um, one, the satanic conspiracy, the most famous. During the 1980s satanic panic, some churches and religious groups claimed the dolls were cursed or demonically influenced. The adoption papers somehow created a spiritual contract. Their unique names had occult meanings. There has never been any evidence for these claims. They were part of the broader satanic panic that also targeted games, music, and other toys during that era.

[00:06:40]Two, the adoption papers. Every Cabbage Patch Kid came with a birth certificate, adoption papers, and a unique name. Some people believed signing the adoption papers was more than a marketing gimmick and that it had hidden spiritual significance. In reality, it was simply a clever way to make children feel like they were adopting a one-of-a-kind doll.

[00:07:01]Three, the mutant baby theory. One strange rumor claimed the dolls were designed to make children comfortable with babies born after a future nuclear war because of their unusual facial features. This story has been thoroughly debunked and is considered an urban legend. Hash4 Xavier Roberts stole the idea. This one isn't a conspiracy. It's based on a real legal dispute. Many people believe creator Xavier Roberts copied the work of Kentucky artist Martha Nelson Thomas, whose handmade doll babies had similar round faces and came with adoption papers. She sued Roberts and the case was eventually settled out of court. That lawsuit is part of the documented history of the dolls.

[00:07:45]>> Five.

[00:07:47]>> Babylon General Hospital. The dolls are born at Babylan General Hospital in Georgia, where visitors can watch theatrical births of cabbage patch kids from a giant cabbage patch. Because the experience is so elaborate with nurses, births, and fantasy lore, some visitors have joked that it feels cultlike or creepy that has fueled internet stories, but it's simply part of the brand's whimsical marketing. One true story that's almost unbelievable but isn't a conspiracy is the Christmas 1983 shopping frenzy. Parents literally fought over Cabbage Patch Kids in stores. News footage shows people wrestling over the dolls because demand was far greater than supply. It became one of the biggest toy craze in American history. Given your interest in antiques, these stories make Cabbage Patch Kids an interesting example of how a popular toy can become surrounded by myths. rumors and folklore over time, even when there's little or no evidence behind most of them.

[00:08:47]>> What does that mean, Lester?

[00:08:48]>> And our biggest question mark of the day. A gentleman never tails.

[00:08:56]>> Help me understand.

[00:08:57]>> But we don't know what the hell that means. A glove, a big black glove with a feather. A gentleman never tales. Jamie, >> like, what is he not telling?

[00:09:07]>> I don't know. Oh, I'm kind of nervous about finding out what chat's going to say about this.

[00:09:12]>> That's a fun antique and it's built around an old saying. A gentleman never tells means that a true gentleman does not reveal private or romantic encounters. In other words, if if he had a relationship or flirtation with a lady, he would keep it confidential out of respect. The objects reinforce that idea. The black glove was a classic symbol of elegance, formality, and gentlemanly behavior in the 1800s and early 1900s. The white feather often represented a lady's fashion. Women commonly wore feathered hats, bows, and other feathered accessories during the Victorian and Eduwardian eras. Here, the feather likely symbolizes a woman.

[00:09:53]Together, the glove and feather suggest, open quote, "A gentleman keeps a lady's confidences and never boasts or gossips about their relationship."

[00:10:02]Because, think about it, in today's world, how many young ladies reputations have been ruined by a bunch of middle school or high school jerks that can't wait to go off and kiss and tail.

[00:10:18]And uh that's that's sad, but it's a true fact of reality. But uh wonderful words to live by. A gentleman never tales. Just don't let your troubles fester. Come watch long horn leester.

[00:10:50]>> Yeah, something like that.