Selling Happiness: Calendar Posters and Visual Culture in Early Twentieth-Century Shanghai

Selling Happiness examines the rise of Chinese calendar poster art in Shanghai from 1900-1950, focusing on the convergence of commerce, art, and cultural change. The book traces how these promotional materials from tobacco companies and other businesses transformed into a distinct form of popular art. Through extensive research and image analysis, Laing documents the careers of major commercial artists and their integration of Chinese and Western artistic techniques. The narrative explores the evolution of feminine beauty ideals in these posters, from traditional depictions to modern "Shanghai modern girls." The intersection of traditional Chinese art practices with emerging global capitalism created a unique visual language that defined an era. These calendar posters serve as artifacts that reveal broader patterns of modernization, consumerism, and changing social values in early twentieth-century China.

Academic readers value this historical analysis of Shanghai calendar art for its thorough research and rare visual materials. The high-quality color reproductions of vintage advertisements receive frequent mention in reviews. Liked: - Details connections between Chinese and Western commercial art styles - Documents role of calendar posters in China's modernization - Explains technical aspects of printing and distribution - Provides biographical information on major artists Disliked: - Writing style can be dry and academic - Organization feels repetitive in later chapters - Limited discussion of posters' impact on rural areas - High price point for hardcover edition ($65+) Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (5 ratings) Amazon: Not enough reviews for rating WorldCat: No ratings available Very few public reviews exist online, as this is primarily an academic text with limited general readership. Most discussion appears in scholarly journals rather than consumer review sites.

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🎨 Calendar posters (yuefenpai) from this era combined traditional Chinese artistic elements with modern Western advertising techniques, creating a unique hybrid style that defined Shanghai's visual culture 📅 The "calendar lady" became an iconic image in Chinese advertising, typically depicting fashionable, modern Chinese women wearing both traditional qipao dresses and Western-style clothing ✨ Many of the artists who created these calendar posters were formally trained in both Chinese brush painting and Western oil painting techniques at the Shanghai Art Academy 🏢 British-American Tobacco Company was one of the largest commissioners of calendar posters, helping establish this art form as a major advertising medium in early 20th century China 🖼️ The calendar posters' influence extended beyond advertising - they shaped Chinese beauty standards, fashion trends, and social attitudes toward modernity for decades to come