“The Vanishing American” – Cluett Peabody & Company
This depiction of a specimen of a vanishing tribe through an “Absentminded Alfred” who didn’t look for the “Sanforized” trademark on the clothes he bought is truly racist. The 1930s ad by Cluett Peabody & Company, a manufacturer of shirts and related apparel, endorsed clothes made only of fabrics that do not shrink over 1% of the standard. Because Alfred didn’t look for the “Sanforized” trademark, all the washable garments he had purchased reduced by several sizes.
Whether the ad is saying you will turn into a member of an indigenous tribe, therefore vanishing as an American and becoming more “primitive” with your choice of clothes, or you’ll shrink into oblivion as you become more native in clothing preference and appearance, there is no refuting the racist undertones of the ad.