Advertising - Overview
Advertising is meant to persuade, and the themes and techniques of that persuasion reveal a part of the nation's history. The Museum has preserved advertising campaigns for several familiar companies, such as Marlboro, Alka-Seltzer, Federal Express, Cover Girl, and Nike. It also holds the records of the NW Ayer Advertising Agency and business papers from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Carvel Ice Cream, and other companies. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana comprises thousands of trade cards, catalogs, labels, and other business papers and images dating back to the late 1700s.
Beyond advertising campaigns, the collections encompass thousands of examples of packaging, catalogs, and other literature from many crafts and trades, from engineering to hat making. The collections also contain an eclectic array of advertising objects, such as wooden cigar-store Indians, neon signs, and political campaign ads.
"Advertising - Overview" showing 19 items.
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Ask for the "American Enterprise" [trade card]
- Summary
- Trade card shaped as fan. Two Chinese men in tan/white and blue designed robes face each other, talking, holding hands. Background is yellow, red and blue. Back has red text advertising Althrop's Constitutional Tonic
- Date
- 1878
- 19th century
- advertiser
- Wemple & Kronheim
- Creator
- Funk & Lackey
- Local number
- AC0060-0000175 (AC Scan No.)
- AC0060-0000176 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
From the Far Corners of the Earth [catalogue]
- Summary
- Black, red, white, grey coloring. Various peoples of the world gathered in triangular shape, all behind Chinese man holding pole over shoulders. In background is giant telephone, globe
- Date
- 1935
- advertiser
- Western Electric Company
- Local number
- AC0060-0000186 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Letter Press & Lithographic Printing Inks [Poster]
- Summary
- Poster album. Chinese man in traditional Qing garb, purple. Man is seated, behind him is image of a gate. Behind gate on left and right are men dressed in white, holding standards
- Date
- 1902
- The Ault & Wiborg Co.advertiser
- Frank B. Swick
- Local number
- AC0060-0000134 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
John ate the delicious Meat, And it made him feel so good / That he dressed himself for the fete, In the elegant can which contained Libby, McNeill & Libby's Cooked Corned Beef [trade card]
- Summary
- Five Chinese men in blue wearing cans labeled "Cooked Corned Beef" dancing a jig. In tropical setting with palm tree and pagoda in background. All men wearing kuli hats and queues
- Date
- 1880
- 1900
- advertiser
- Libby, McNeill & Libby
- Creator
- Shober & Corqueville Lith. Co. (printer)
- Local number
- AC0060-0000138 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Makee Fine Whitee Likee New Dress Shirtee [caption on one cartoon panel] [trade card]
- Summary
- 3 cartoon panels, advertising white lead paint. Each has a separate caption or text. Top left depicts 2 Caucasian men painting brick wall red. Top right depicts Chinese man painting green fence white. Bottom panel shows men (embodying states) dancing around a large bucket of white paint
- Date
- 1880
- 1900
- 19th century
- illustrator
- Grump Label Co
- vendor
- Urben, J.P. (Allegheny City, Pa.)
- advertiser
- Beymer, Bauman & Co. (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Local number
- AC0060-0000168 (AC Scan No.)
- AC0060-0000169 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Little Mull and Her Pet Major [trade card]
- Summary
- Front of trade card is color drawing of little girl in pink frock and white bonnet looking over a black dog facing left. Girl holds a rose in her hand. Back of trade card (and others by Capital City Tea Co.) has stamped logo. Teas and coffees listed on left and right, standing Asian man in middle holding box of tea in hand and on pole. Man wears hat, Asian garb, long moustache and queue
- Date
- 1900
- 1920
- 19th century
- advertiser
- Capital City Tea Co
- Local number
- AC0060-0000192 (AC Scan No.)
- AC0060.0000193 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
The Best and the Cheapest [trade card]
- Summary
- Asian man with hand-pull cart being attacked by yellow dog. Fruit is falling out the back
- Date
- 1877
- 19th century
- Stanton advertiser
- J.M. Bufford's Sons
- Local number
- AC0060-0000200 (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Here is the only complete line of Chinese Foods ... [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- ... packed by American men and methods. Illustrated with a line of La Choy cans
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1932
- 1960-1970
- advertiser
- La Choy Food Products, Inc
- Local number
- AC0059-0000079 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
[Ethnic portraits on fan : cigar label, ca. 1879?]
- Summary
- Cigar label depicts several different ethnic groups and a chimpanzee on a fan under the title, Professor Darwin
- Date
- 1879
- ca 1879
- advertiser
- F. Heppenheimer's Sons
- Local number
- 040060117.tif (AC Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Half the People in the World Suffer from some form of Skin Disease [booklet]
- Summary
- Cover of booklet, with orange ink. Various nationalities and races drawn diagonally across cover, facing left. Contents include a two-page introduction, a testimonial about the usefulness and international acclaim of Pineoline, and a letter of recommendation from Japan
- Date
- 1896
- 1900
- advertiser
- Walker Pharmacal Co
- Local number
- AC0060-0000179, AC0060-0000180, AC0060-0000181 (AC Scan Nos.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
