How Lord Roberts spells BOVRIL
- Title:
- How Lord Roberts spells BOVRIL
- Alternate Title:
- How Lord Roberts spells BOVRIL
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Bovril
- Date:
- 1900
- Date 2:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2322.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2322_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1900 - 1919
- Subject:
- Advertising & Promotion
Other War & Peace - Measurement:
- 17 x 24 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This map advertisement cleverly rides the wave of patriotic fervor in Britain during the Boer War. In this case, the product is Bovril, a thick beef extract that can be spread on toast, rehydrated with hot water as a hearty drink, or used as stock for soup or stew. First marketed in the 1880s, it has been widely used in times of war because it can be stored for long periods without refrigeration. It is still popular in Britain today, particularly as a hot drink sold in soccer stadiums during winter matches.
On March 13, 1900, Field Marshall Lord Roberts completed a dramatic series of attacks to lift a four-month siege of Kimberley and Bloemfontein by the Orange Free State. The national celebration that followed included this add suggesting that Lord Roberts’ route traced the word “Bovril” in script across the landscape of South Africa. (In fairness, the artist needed the routes of Major General John French and Lieutenant General Lord Methuen to complete the “B” and the “o.”) The ad argues that this “extraordinary coincidence is one more proof of the universality of Bovril.” And it includes a quote from the British medical journal Lancet on March 17 about the the Royal Army Medical Corps serving "Hot Bovril and stimulants" to the tired and wounded soldiers.
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Source:
- The Sphere, March 31, 1900.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.