Parables of Modernity: Italian Advertising Meets Religion, 1890–1950

The use of religious symbols in commercial advertising is not only a modern phenomenon. The research presented here traces its existence from the start of the last century through the analysis of a broad sample of advertising posters that circulated in Italy between 1890 and 1950. In presenting the main results of this analysis, this article not only sets out to document the variety and complexity of the historical materials belonging to a distant past but also seeks to pinpoint a potential thread running from that context to the present day, indicating continuities and differences that can help to understand some transformations that have taken place over time.