Bidspirit auction | Beacon Blankets Native American Advertisement

Beacon Blankets Native American Advertisement - Beacon Blankets, Massachusetts. Vintage promotional die-cut advertisement poster depicting a crouching Native American figure with the ”Beacon” brand name emblazoned above him, early 20th century. In the 1930s, the Beacon Blanket Company faced significant controversy when the Navajo Nation and Federal Trade Commission accused the company of false branding for their use of Native American imagery and the term ”Indian woven” in its marketing. The Navajo Nation argued that Beacon's branding misrepresented the blankets as authentically ”Native-made, ” despite the company having no direct affiliation with Indigenous communities. In response to the lawsuit, Beacon agreed to cease using the phrase, changing their slogan instead to ”Indian design, ” and limiting their use of Native American imagery in its advertising and product designs. Sight; height: 35 in x width: 40 in. Framed; height: 36 1/4 in x width: 47 1/4 in x depth: 1 1/4 in. Condition: The colors are somewhat faded. Wear including some creasing and minute losses throughout. Framed under glass. Some wear to the frame. Not inspected out of frame.