Little girl with a teddy bear, 1949

Little girl with a teddy bear, 1949. Photographs of boys and girls were used by advertisers to promote a wide range of products - this photograph was sold to ICI Limited. The golliwog toy seen here is no longer acceptable in British society. Photographic Advertising Limited, founded in 1926, created multi-purpose stock images with the potential for selling a range of products. Whilst enjoying its greatest success during the 1930s, it continued in business until 1977. Their trademark, the staged studio photograph resembling a film still, was its selling point and, later, its downfall. Sophisticated, adaptable and generic, this kind of image gradually fell out of favour as clients increasingly demanded targeted advertising campaigns with specific photographs. ©SSPL/NMeM/Photographic Advertising