A disturbing retro ad reveals how much times have changed

Vintage Subway Ads, originally uploaded by kenf225.

If you're not clear on the historic significance of the current campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, here's a reminder from the New York City Transit Museum. It's a pre-suffrage subway ad for a dishwashing powder, complete with stereotypical African-American servant imagery.

Because the North was, you know, so much more enlightened on these issues than the rest of the country. There's more here and in the flickr set.

While MLK Day is, for good reason, a time for commemorating the landmark civil rights protests of the 1950s and '60s, it's also instructive to recall those who have fought the good fight in more subtle ways. The next time you're tempted to think that ads are just commodified ephemera, remember the unsung writers on Madison Avenue who subtly shifted the image of women and minorities from servitude to autonomy.