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 59 items.
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Williams' Shaving Stick. [Print advertising.] Truth
- Summary
- Caption: "Williams' Shaving Stick". Ad in upper left quadrant of page
- Creator
- Williams, J.B., Company (Glastonbury, Conn.)
- Subject
- United States Army
- United States Military Academy
- Local number
- 245248
- Ivorydata4 1105
- 0300600287 (Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Goya Foods, Inc. Collection, 1960-2000
- Notes
- Prudencio Unanue emigrated to Puerto Rico from northern Spain in 1902, but moved his family to New York in 1916. They opened Unanue, Inc., in 1936 to supply local bodegas. Over the next 30 years the business grew tremendously and eventually began its own food processing, canning, and packaging. In 1961 the company assumed the name Goya Foods, Inc., although it had used Goya as a product name since 1936. By sponsoring music festivals, sports teams, parades, and other activities, Goya Foods supported the cultural life of various communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The company's current headquarters is in Secaucus, New Jersey
- Summary
- Photographs, calendars, sales promotional materials, cookbooks, packaging, and news clippings. Photographs depict primarily company sponsored events, but a few are family pictures
- Cite as
- Goya Foods, Inc. Collection, ca. 1960-2000, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1960
- 1960-2000
- 1950-2000
- 20th century
- donor
- Goya Foods, Inc
- creators
- Unanue family
- author
- Unanue, Prudencio
- Local number
- 1999.3017 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
"You're adorable!" [sic] [Print advertising.]
- Summary
- Main portion of the advertisement is a reproduction of a photograph of actor Van Johnson almost kissing actress June Allyson, shown in close-up profile. The scene may be a still from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film "The Bride Goes Wild" (1948). Text below photograph: "'I'm a Lux Girl,' / Says June Allyson." For Lux Soap
- Date
- 1948
- 20th century
- advertiser
- Lever Brothers Company
- Subject
- Allyson, June, 1917-
- Johnson, Van (actor) 1916-
- Local number
- Ivorydata4 1134
- 03061102 (Scan No.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Henry Booth Collection, 1942-1974
- Notes
- Textile mogul Henry Booth was the grandson of William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
- Summary
- Collection focuses primarily on the PhotoMetric custom tailoring system. It consists of advertisements, brochures, photographs, glass slides, a 16mm film, correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, an operating manual, scrapbooks, magazines, and a guest register
- Cite as
- Henry Booth Collection, 1942-1974, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1942
- 1942-1974
- 1940-1990
- 1920-2000
- 20th century
- 1940-2000
- 1950-2000
- collector
- Booth, Henry 1895-1969
- donor
- Booth, Robert
- Subject
- Booth, Virginia
- Eastman Kodak Co
- PhotoMetric Corporation
- Hillandale Handweavers
- Hillandale Farms
- Amalgamated Textiles Limited
- Richard Bennett Associates, Inc
- Local number
- 2000.3016 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Call out the Dounuteers * [sic] [advertisement]
- Summary
- Advertisement consists of cartoon panels indicating how doughnuts helped boost morale during World War II, both on the warfront and home front
- Cite as
- Sally L. Steinberg Collection of Doughnut Ephemera, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1941
- 1945
- Item undated
- 20th century
- 1900-1950
- donor
- Steinberg, Sally L
- advertiser
- Doughnut Corporation of America
- Subject
- Mayflower Doughnuts
- Local number
- AC0439-0000053.tif (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Grace Jeffers Collection of Formica Materials, 1913-2003
- Notes
- The Formica Insulating Company was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Mar. 2, 1913 by Herbert A. Faber and Daniel J. O'Conor. Initially, the company made insulation parts for motors; but in 1927 was granted a patent for the production of decorative laminates. Fueled in part by the post-World War II building boom and society's growing decorative needs, Formica became the leading producer of decorative laminates in the 1950s-1960s. Over the next thirty years, Formica Corporation expanded its product line to serve the needs of interior designers and artists with the introduction of solid surfacing material
- Summary
- Records relating to the history of the Formica Corporation and the use of Formica brand plastic laminate, including photographs, informational brochures and videotapes documenting production, installation, and use of Formica; correspondence, exhibition catalogs and posters highlighting Formica-sponsored traveling exhibits; published histories, trademark material, newsletters and company magazines; promotional material, including scripts for television commercials, advertisements, mailing lists, and press releases; trade literature includes product catalogs and samples
- Cite as
- Grace Jeffers Collection of Formica Materials, 1913-2003, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1913
- 1913-2003
- 1920-2000
- 20th Century
- 20th century
- creator
- Formica Corporation
- collector
- Grant-Lewin, Susan
- Jeffers, Grace
- Subject
- Faber, Herbert A
- O'Conor, Daniel J
- Loewy, Raymond
- Stevens, Brooks
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Everett H. Bickley Collection, 1919-1980 (bulk 1919-1965)
- Notes
- Bickley was one of the more active inventors of twentieth century. While his main and most portable invention was an automatic bean sorter, his other inventions were numerous and wide in scope. Examples are: a photographic exposure meter; fly killing device; dance charts; nut-cracking device; and outdoor electric sign
- Summary
- Correspondence, patents, drawings, manuals, trade literature, and photographs, particularly rich in information on Bickley's sorting devices. World War II innovations, and other inventions such as an exposure meter, dance charts, fly-killing device, and an outdoor electric sign known as the Motograph
- Spans much of the twenthieth century and is of value to researchers interested in product development, the patent application process, product marketing and promotion, World War II innovation, and the daily operation of a small, privately owned industry. General correspondence, patents and patent correspondence, drawings, manuals, trade literature, and photographs; also, several artifacts designed by Bickley, including a photographic exposure meter (Fotimer), a prototype slide mount (Color Tight Slide Mount), dance chart, and even a clipboard (Deskette)
- Cite as
- The Everett H. Bickley Collection, 1919-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1919
- 1919-1980
- bulk 1919-1965
- 20th century
- 1930-1950
- creator
- Bickley, Everett H. 1888- 1972
- donor
- Beyer, Audrey Bickley
- Subject
- Bickley Manufacturing Company
- H. J. Heinz Company
- Local number
- 1999.3022 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Records of Wedge Innovations, 1985-1996
- Notes
- The SmartLevel was conceived in 1985 by Andrew G. Butler, who formed Wedge Innovations in 1986 in the basement of his home in order to develop and market this level. The company developed the sensor technology and software necessary to build the WedgeLevel. The heart of this tool was an electronic sensor circuit connected to a microprocessor capable of measuring the tool's orientation
- Summary
- Collection documents the invention and development of a new hand tool, the SmartLevel, an electronic builder's level, including company management and policies. It contains design notebooks, detailed technical drawings, financial statements, correspondence, operational records, advertisements, etc
- Series 1: Corporate Records, 1985-1993, address the overall management of Wedge Innovations and documents its policies
- Series 2: Engineering Records (1985-1994) document the design and development of the SmartLevel, including design notebooks and detailed technical drawings
- Series 3: Financial Records (1986-1992): Wedge's summary financial statements
- Series 4: Marketing Records (1986-1992) document customer and dealer relations through correspondence, operational records, advertisements, photographs, and videotapes
- Series 5: Operations Records (1990-1992) document the manufacturing process and the company's offshore operations
- Series 6: Product Development Records (1987-1992) document the company's intended development of an entire "Smart Tools" line
- Series 7: Corporate Culture series (1985-1996) contains employee photographs and oral history interviews with key Wedge personnel
- Cite as
- Records of Wedge Innovations, 1985-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1985
- 1985-1996
- 1980-2000
- 1950-2000
- 1970-2000
- 1990-2000
- creator
- Wedge Innovations
- interviewer
- Shayt, David H
- donor
- Butler, Andrew G
- Bayley, Brian
- Reeder, Kevin
- Fetter, Rick
- Wisnig, Ronald
- Gunderson, Ken
- Local number
- 1996.3066 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1996.3065 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1995.3072 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1995.3067 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Albert W. Hampson Commercial Artwork Collection, 1926-1968
- Summary
- Materials documenting the commercial artwork of Albert Hampson, including advertisements, sketches, photographs, color slides, magazine ads, and point of purchase displays
- Cite as
- Albert W. Hampson Commercial Artwork Collection, 1926-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1926
- 1968
- 1926-1968
- 20th century
- donor
- Hampson, Albert W (artist) 1911-1990
- Local number
- 1996.3060 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Routes of the Flying Clipper Ships ... Pan American World Airways. [Poster.]
- Notes
- Donated to Princeton Library on January 25, 1945
- Original Tracking No. 5,562
- Summary
- A globe of the world with Pan American air routes outlined. Other images include the constellations, a plane, a clipper ship, a mermaid, and the god Neptune
- Date
- 1939
- artist
- Helguera, Leon
- Creator
- Pan American World Airways
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
