The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Historian labels Carnegie advert ‘disrespectful’
A historian has hit out at a “disrespectful” advert which shows Scots businessman Andrew Carnegie as a crackermunching mouse.
Sheila Pitcairn felt that one of Scotland’s most historically important men deserved better than to be portrayed as a rodent in an advert for Jacob’s Mini Cheddars.
Eagle-eyed viewers spotted a doctored portrait of Andrew Carnegie, who is thought to have been one of the richest people of all time, in a recent TV commercial.
The advert was meant to be humorous, but Fife historian Sheila Pitcairn said that it was disrespectful.
She said: “He deserves better than this. It’s disrespectful to oor Andrew and I don’t think Dunfermliners want that as he was a great man, no doubt about it.
“Andrew Carnegie enjoyed a good joke and didn’t mind the cartoons about him – they’re in the birthplace museum -– as they were patriotic, showing him in a wee kilt with a two-sided flag, Scotland on one side and America on the other.
“But I don’t think this is appropriate. He shouldn’t be mocked.”
Born in Dunfermline in 1835, Carnegie gave away 90% of his fortune.
A spokeswoman for Jacob’s said: “We apologise to anyone to whom this may have caused offence.
“We are in the process of removing the scene containing the image of Andrew Carnegie from future advertorial.”