Advertising

Ivory Soap Ad

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.

Place: Pennsylvania

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 9

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.054
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.054

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 3

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.048
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.048

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 54

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.099
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.099

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 60

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.105
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.105

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 71

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.116
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.116

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 57

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.102
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.102

Counter Display, Superman Bubble Gum

1948 Cardboard counter box lid for Fo-Lee Gum's Superman brand bubble gum. It was originally part of a store display that held individually wrapped pieces of chewing gum.
Description (Brief)
1948 Cardboard counter box lid for Fo-Lee Gum's Superman brand bubble gum. It was originally part of a store display that held individually wrapped pieces of chewing gum. The card indicates that the purchaser of the last piece of gum would receive an image of Superman found printed on the bottom of the box. It also provides instructions on how to receive a special premium badge.
The character of Superman first flew into action in 1938. The costumed superhero was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland Ohio, who used, among other things, Classical mythology, philosopher Fredrich Nietzche's concept of the "uberd mensch," and the era's popular science fiction and adventure writing, for inspiration.
With his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman became an instant sensation with audiences, inspired by the "Man of Tomorrow's" virtue and heroics at time when the Nation was slowly emerging from the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression and moving closer to World War.
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a child, where our world's yellow sun granted him extraordinary powers such as flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, as well as other extraordinary abilities including heat and X-Ray vision. As an adult living in the city of Metropolis, the alien, born Kal-El, protects his identity by assuming the persona of Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered" journalist.
Fighting for "Truth and Justice," Superman birthed a cultural fascination with superheroes, and has become one of the most recognizable and influential fictional characters in history. In addition to comic books, the character has been explored in all forms of media, including radio, television, and film, and has been used to promote a variety of successful consumer products, educational initiatives and public service campaigns.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1948
maker
Fo-Lee Gum Corn
Fo-Lee Gum Corn
ID Number
1987.0213.121
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.121

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 20

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.065
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.065

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 40

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.085
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.085

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 49

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.094
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.094

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 69

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.114
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.114

Typescript for Bob Newhart routine "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue"

Typescript for the Bob Newhart comedy routine "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue." The script is typed on three pages of typewriter paper in black ink.
Description (Brief)
Typescript for the Bob Newhart comedy routine "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue." The script is typed on three pages of typewriter paper in black ink. Newhart wrote the sketch in 1960 for his stand-up comedy act at Houston's Tidelands nightclub; that act was recorded and released as The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, a popular and acclaimed comedy album that went on to win Newhart two Grammy Awards.
The routine consists of an imaginary conversation between Abraham Lincoln and a Madison Avenue advertising executive. In talking through Lincoln’s upcoming Gettysburg Address, the ad man advises the sixteenth president on his image (“Abe, would you leave the beard on?”), suggests jokes and merchandising tie-ins, and bats down Lincoln’s speech revisions. The ad man’s insincere platitudes, prioritization of style over substance, and obsession with focus group testing poke fun at the popular perception of the advertising world’s asinine commercialism. His frustration with Lincoln’s earnest and thoughtful intelligence, out of its historical context, reads like relatable frustration with a coworker who just doesn’t get the point of a collaborative project. Meanwhile the sketch’s irreverent and ahistorical representation of Lincoln’s dithering deflates the mythology around the venerated leader. The routine even ends with the ad man suggesting that Lincoln “take in a play,” suggesting he may have been responsible for the president’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre. Newhart wrote in his 2006 book I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This that he was inspired to write the monologue by a 1957 study of the advertising world, The Hidden Persuaders, “which talked about the danger of PR men creating images in presidential campaigns to the degree that you were voting for a personality rather than a leader’s ideology.”
Bob Newhart changed the face of American comedy in his six decade-long career as a stand-up comedian and film and television actor. Newhart’s genial, halting, square delivery obscured a sly, subversive, and quietly revolutionary form of satire. Eschewing the more aggressive and controversial style of “sick comic” contemporaries like Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl, Newhart’s deadpan, stammering, straight man persona allowed him to subtly excoriate social mores, crassness and greed, hypocrisy, and the absurdities of modern American life. His debut comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart became first comedy LP ever to hit number one on the Billboard charts, first (of two) comedy album to win a Grammy for Album of the Year, and Newhart became the only comedian to ever win a Grammy as Best New Artist. He began acting in film and television, including two acclaimed and long running sitcoms, The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) and Newhart (1982-1990). Newhart has continued to play small roles and make guest appearances into his 90s, including a recurring guest role on The Big Bang Theory that won him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2013. Newhart won the 2002 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, has been inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, and earned a 1962 Golden Globe award for Best TV Star as well as his three Grammy Awards in 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960
around 1960
Associated Name
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
Newhart, Bob
ID Number
2023.0059.01
accession number
2023.0059
catalog number
2023.0059.01

Where Life is a Happy Glide

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1907
ID Number
2017.0037.0052
accession number
2017.0037
catalog number
2017.0037.0052

Bottle Cap Stage Prop

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.007.02
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.007.02

Crackle hand puppet from Rice Krispies cereal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.009.03
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.009.03

Pop hand puppet from Rice Krispies cereal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.009.04
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.009.04

Frosty the boy hand puppet advertising Coca Cola

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.007.01
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.007.01

Reddy Kilowatt Marionette

This is a marionette of the character “Reddy Kilowatt,” first created in 1926 by Ashton B. Collins of the Alabama Power Company. This Reddy Kilowatt puppet was made in 1934 by the husband-and-wife team of Elizabeth L. and Frank D.
Description
This is a marionette of the character “Reddy Kilowatt,” first created in 1926 by Ashton B. Collins of the Alabama Power Company. This Reddy Kilowatt puppet was made in 1934 by the husband-and-wife team of Elizabeth L. and Frank D. Haines for window display performances in the Philadelphia Electric showroom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From the late 1930's to the 1950's puppets were a popular advertising medium. Puppeteers like the Haines’ utilized puppets in store window displays, motion pictures, and television shows to promote a wide array of businesses and products.
date made
1934
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.013.01
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.013.01

Fresh as a Daisy-Do puppet

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.009.01
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.009.01

Snap hand puppet from Rice Krispies cereal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.009.02
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.009.02

Elsie the Cow Marionette

Elsie the Cow marionette is hand carved from wood and operates using a 6-piece wooden airplane control and a separate one-piece bar control with 13 strings. Her cow head with the distinctive horns is on a swivel neck and her jaw is moveable.
Description (Brief)
Elsie the Cow marionette is hand carved from wood and operates using a 6-piece wooden airplane control and a separate one-piece bar control with 13 strings. Her cow head with the distinctive horns is on a swivel neck and her jaw is moveable. She is wearing a refined blue suit, white gloves, high heels and a black net hat. She was used to promote Borden products. From the late 1930s to the 1950's puppets became popular for use in advertising.
Elsie is one of large group of advertising puppets used by Elizabeth and Frank D. Haines, a husband and wife team of puppeteers. They operated a puppet troupe in and around Philadelphia, and performed on television and in window displays to subsidize their business. While they were not fond of using their puppets for advertisements, Elsie the cow is just one of their puppets used to promote a popular brand of milk products--Borden.
Location
Currently not on view
user
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
maker
Haines, Elizabeth L.
Haines, Frank D.
ID Number
2007.0137.011
accession number
2007.0137
catalog number
2007.0137.011

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 47

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.092
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.092

Trading Card, Gum Inc. Superman No. 34

One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back.
Description (Brief)
One of a set of 72 trading card featuring Superman, included in packages of Gum Inc.'s "Superman Bubble Gum" in 1940. Each "adventure story" card features an image of Superman on the front with a connected story on the back. The cards are one of the earliest examples of merchandise featuring the iconic superhero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
maker
Gum, Inc.
copyright holder
Superman, Inc.
associated institution
Superman of America Club
maker
Gum, Inc.
Superman, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0213.079
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.079

United Firemen's Insurance Company Fire Mark

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 United Firemen’s Insurance Company issued this fire mark in 1878. The oval cast iron mark features a central image of a steam-powered fire engine in relief, with a raised header text that reads “UNITED FIREMEN’S INS. CO.” It appears as if the engine and text were originally painted gold, which has subsequently worn off. The policy number “10659” is painted in gold at the bottom of the mark. The United Firemen's Insurance Company was incorporated in 1860 by a group of 28 engine and hose companies that were not part of the Fire Association of Philadelphia. Since the Fire Association did not pay dividends to companies that were not members, these twenty-eight companies formed the new United Firemen's Insurance Company of Philadelphia to profit from the insurance business. Steam fire engines were a new technology in 1860, and the UFI's use of a steamer on its fire mark shows a desire to be associated with the latest innovations in firefighting and prevention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0453
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0453

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.