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Whitman's image and poetry in advertisements
Whitman as Spokesperson
Label for Whitman cigars
Whitman’s face has been used on a variety of products over the years, on everything from pencils to medicine (Jewell and Price, Twentieth-Century Mass Media Appearances). Though many borrowed his likeness after his lifetime, a few, such as the cigar box depicted here, were manufactured while he was still alive. After seeing the cigar box, Whitman was reported to have said “That is fame!” (Blake, Walt Whitman and the Culture of American Celebrity). Some, like the Old Crow Whiskey ad, seem to use his image for no apparent reason (their basis for the ad was a story that Whitman had recieved some of their Whiskey as a gift, despite the fact that Whitman never said anything about the product, and wasn't a heavy drinker). The appeal to using Whitman’s image comes from a variety of reason, from location to his status as American icon.
Whitman inspired beer
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There are a few things I find interesting about these companies' use of Whitman. First is that they make no direct references to his poetry in any way, shape or form, which seems odd since they are after all using a poet to promote their product. The only item that comes close to referencing Whitman poetically is the beer, whose slogan is "it's transcendentally delicious!" Still, while making a humorous reference to genre of Whitman's writing, it never directly quotes him. The reason that these companies most likely do not draw on Whitman's writing is because they are drawing more on Whitman’s power as an icon than his poetical prowess. While it is simple to use Whitman's image, it would be almost strange for these companies to use a line of Whitman's poetry, since they would probably find little to do with their products. This leads me to a second point about the appropriation of Whitman's image in these products, and that is his actual portrayal. In the Old Crow Whiskey ad, Whitman is portrayed as the "good gray poet" surrounded by a well-kept library, tended to by a young and buxom nurse. While Whitman did much to promote the image of the old wise poet, as did his friends Horace Traubel and William Douglas O’Connor, so this depiction of him as such does not provide for much conflict. However, the depiction of his surroundings does. In the ad, Whitman is surrounded by neatly stacked books, in a well kept and affluent looking office. The type of lifestyle depicted by the ad is in direct contrast to the actual Whitman of later years, a man who was constantly surrounded by a chaos of paper, and who certainly wasn’t wealthy. Second is the actual indoor location of the depiction. Whitman identified himself as a poet of America, the working-class man and nature. These depictions suggest none of these things which Whitman would have typically been connected with. Whitman, "one of the roughs" seems almost out of place residing in his cozy study.
