Ambassadors of commerce: the commercial traveler in British culture, 1800-1939

French, M. and Popp, A. (2008) Ambassadors of commerce: the commercial traveler in British culture, 1800-1939. Business History Review, 82(4), pp. 789-814. (doi: 10.1017/S0007680500063200)

Abstract

This paper presents a reading of British literary representations of commercial travelers between 1800 and 1939. Three forms of representation are used: nonfiction representations by others, travelers' self-representations, and fictional representations. We find remarkable continuity in representations of commercial travelers across this long time period, particularly in terms of a sustained tension between the image of the disreputable "drummer" and the more respectable "model" salesman. These readings and findings are used to address two debates: one concerned with the timing of any transition to "modern" selling and salesmanship in Britain; and the second having to do with the processes whereby British society accommodated itself to modernity, commercialization, and the birth of a consumer society.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: French, Professor Michael
• Authors: French, M., and Popp, A.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HF Commerce; H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
• Journal Name: Business History Review
• ISSN: 0007-6805
• ISSN (Online): 2044-768X
• Published Online: 13 December 2011