The Identi-Kit Man

This is one of a series of paintings in which Boshier refers to toothpaste. He was fascinated by the culture of commodities and of the increasingly evident process of Americanization. Toothpaste, which was the very first product advertised on British TV, was seen to epitomise both. His view was influenced by journalist Vance Packard’s influential critique of American advertising practices, in his popular book The Hidden Persuaders.