Advertising

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.

Notebook with celluloid cover with leather borders and binding. An image of "Fred P. Currie's" hardware store in Atlantic City appears on the front. A calendar for 1891-1892 is on the back. The pages are paper.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Notebook with celluloid cover with leather borders and binding. An image of "Fred P. Currie's" hardware store in Atlantic City appears on the front. A calendar for 1891-1892 is on the back. The pages are paper.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891
maker
Wm. Bertsch & Company
ID Number
2006.0098.1358
catalog number
2006.0098.1358
accession number
2006.0098
Celluloid notebook advertising the L. S. Plaut & Company store, "The Beehive, the largest fancy goods store in the state," in red and blue print with an image of a beehive. An image of the Newark, N.J., store is on the back cover.
Description (Brief)
Celluloid notebook advertising the L. S. Plaut & Company store, "The Beehive, the largest fancy goods store in the state," in red and blue print with an image of a beehive. An image of the Newark, N.J., store is on the back cover. A calendar for the year 1890 and a list of goods for sale are on the inside page.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890
advertiser
L. S. Plaut & Company
maker
L. S. Plaut & Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0488
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0488
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1899-07
advertiser
Eastman Kodak Company
ID Number
2016.0066.357
accession number
2016.0066
catalog number
2016.0066.0357
Color print of a wagon train descending a mountain road to a central level area beside a river. A wooden fenced structure is located to the left with tents and a number of parked wagons across from it.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a wagon train descending a mountain road to a central level area beside a river. A wooden fenced structure is located to the left with tents and a number of parked wagons across from it. This is an advertisement for Peter Schuttler, a prominent manufacturer of the wagons out of Chicago. Peter Schuttler was a German immigrant who learned his craft by working for a wagon maker in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1843 he moved to Chicago to start his own business by producing wagons for both the city and for Western travellers. By the 1850's, he had become a leading manufacturer of wagons partially due to the California Gold Rush, producing up to 1800 wagons a year. His son Peter took over the business when he died in 1865.
This image was a copy of a 1875-1880 stereo viewby Thurlow of Manitou Springs.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
date made
ca 1885
maker
Clay & Company
ID Number
DL.60.3753
catalog number
60.3753
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1890
depicted (sitter)
Tejero, Rosita
maker
Moreno & Lopez Photographic Studio
ID Number
1982.0589.19
catalog number
1982.0589.19
accession number
1982.0589
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1895
original artist
Reed, Ethel
publisher
Lansom, Wolffe, & Co.
ID Number
GA.22604
catalog number
22604
accession number
290753
This small white transfer printed ash tray made of "granite ware" for George C. Murphy Co. to use as a souvenir.Currently not on view
Description
This small white transfer printed ash tray made of "granite ware" for George C. Murphy Co. to use as a souvenir.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1882-c.1895
c.1893
ID Number
CE.77.233
catalog number
77.233
accession number
1977.0330
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1895
original artist
Huntington, Carolyn
graphic artist
Weisbrodt, H. W.
maker
Weisbrodt, H. W.
ID Number
2012.0093.23
accession number
2012.0093
catalog number
2012.0093.23
One side of this celluloid card has a calendar for 1909, and an advertisement for Wm. R. Dell & Sons, Lift Manufacturers in London. The other side is headed “MEMORANDA.”Currently not on view
Description
One side of this celluloid card has a calendar for 1909, and an advertisement for Wm. R. Dell & Sons, Lift Manufacturers in London. The other side is headed “MEMORANDA.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890
maker
W. R. Dell & Sons
ID Number
2006.0098.0591
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0591
Plastic notebook with two cardboard pages. Notebook has replicas of Cigar Union label on either sides. One card entreats consumers to buy cigars made by unions and not trusts. The pages of the notebook are blank.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Plastic notebook with two cardboard pages. Notebook has replicas of Cigar Union label on either sides. One card entreats consumers to buy cigars made by unions and not trusts. The pages of the notebook are blank.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1894
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.1232
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1232
Beginning in the late 17th century, English insurance companies maintained private fire brigades that were paid to respond to fires at properties they insured.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the late 17th century, English insurance companies maintained private fire brigades that were paid to respond to fires at properties they insured. Properties were identified by leaden badges (fire marks) bearing a insurance company’s emblem and often stamped with the customer’s policy number.
The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company of Exeter, England issued this copper fire mark sometime between 1807 and 1894. The oval mark has a central image of King Alfred holding a sword and scepter, with a shield leaning against him. The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company was founded in 1807 when a fire destroyed two-thirds of the houses in a town near Exeter, and started issuing policies in 1808. The company expanded into London in 1825, and by 1852 it was the sixth-largest insurance company in England.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1807-1894
ID Number
2005.0233.0560
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0560
Beginning in the late 17th century, English insurance companies maintained private fire brigades that were paid to respond to fires at properties they insured.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the late 17th century, English insurance companies maintained private fire brigades that were paid to respond to fires at properties they insured. Properties were identified by leaden badges (fire marks) bearing a insurance company’s emblem and often stamped with the customer’s policy number.
The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company of Exeter, England issued this tinned sheet iron fire mark between 1807 and 1894. The mark has a central raised image of King Alfred holding a spear and shield. Over the mark is the raised text “WEST OF ENGLAND” while below the raised text reads “EXETER.” The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company was founded in 1807 when a fire destroyed two-thirds of the houses in a town near Exeter, and started issuing policies in 1808. The company expanded into London in 1825, and by 1852 it was the sixth-largest insurance company in England.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1807-1894
ID Number
2005.0233.0565
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0565
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
The Protection Fire Insurance Company of Charleston, West Virginia issued this cast iron fire mark around 1892 to 1894. The rectangular mark bears a raised image in the center of a spread-winged eagle rising from flames. The top and bottom of the mark reads “PROTECTION/INSURANCE Co.” The Protection Fire Insurance Company operated from 1892 until 1894.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1892-1894
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0550
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0550
Calendar with celluloid front and paper back. The calendar contains a rotating disc visible through windows cut into the plastic. By rotating the dial, one can find dates for the years 1898-1912.
Description (Brief)
Calendar with celluloid front and paper back. The calendar contains a rotating disc visible through windows cut into the plastic. By rotating the dial, one can find dates for the years 1898-1912. An image of a young girl in bonnet holding trowel and flowers is opposite the calendar. Black print on reverse advertises "Superior Flower Seeds."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
advertiser
Mandeville & King
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0738
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0738

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