Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation

Collection

Roosevelt in Africa (Selig film advertisement, The Moving Picture World, 30 April 1910)

Roosevelt in Africa (Selig film advertisement, The Moving Picture World, 30 April 1910)

Trade-paper advertisement headed 'Roosevelt in Africa': Theodore Roosevelt in a pith helmet examines a shotgun beside two other helmeted men, with two spear-bearing African men in shadow behind. An inset boasts 'The poster that caused all picturedom to sit up and take notice. 25,000 issued, the biggest order ever placed by a picture manufacturer. Selig did it.' The tell: a famous name and the claim of record numbers are offered in place of any description of the film (transfer, bandwagon).

Date
April 30, 1910
Period
Pre-1914
Made by
Selig Polyscope Company (advertiser); published in The Moving Picture World
Region
North America
Country
United States
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
Corporation
Regime
United States
Leader
William Howard Taft
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Persuade or win support
Theme
Empire and colonialism
Techniques
TransferBandwagon
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
The Moving Picture World, 30 April 1910, via Wikimedia Commons, retrieved October 2, 2026
Rights
Public domain: published 1910 (before 1931); Commons PD-US-expired
Selig Polyscope Co., advertisement in The Moving Picture World, 30 April 1910, via Wikimedia Commons.

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

ROOSEVELT IN AFRICA
LIC'D BY M.P.P. CO. [small, partly legible]
THE POSTER THAT CAUSED ALL PICTUREDOM TO SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE.
25,000 ISSUED THE BIGGEST ORDER EVER PLACED BY A PICTURE MANUFACTURER.
SELIG DID IT
COLONEL ROOSEVELT EXAMINING GUN BEFORE BEING PRESENTED TO CHIEF AKAWAHKI.

The inset is partly overprinted by the drawing; 'CAUSED' is partly covered.

Using the same techniques

Fragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouchesNew Kingdom EgyptFragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouches0000 · Card stacking, TransferClay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three templesNeo Babylonian EmpireClay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three temples0000 · TransferSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-BahriNew Kingdom EgyptSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri0000 · Transfer, TestimonialGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)Neo Babylonian EmpireGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)0000 · TransferLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at HerakleopolisNew Kingdom EgyptLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at Herakleopolis0000 · TransferLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of EgyptNew Kingdom EgyptLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of Egypt0000 · Card stacking, TransferContent noteGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal IINeo Assyrian EmpireGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal II0000 · Transfer, Glittering generalitiesEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCEAchaemenid EmpireEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCE0000 · Transfer