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 4 items.
"Chic" Helps and Hints
- Description (Brief)
- Promotional booklet with celluloid cover. Red, green, and black print on front. Color image of a woman's face and purple flowers. Black, red, and blue print on back cover. Image of a box of Pennyroyal Pills. Interior contents include calendars for the years 1904-1907; advertisements for Chichester products; beauty and health hints; legal maxims; states' nicknames; and more.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1904
- advertiser
- Chichester Chemical Co.
- maker
- Whitehead & Hoag Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.0504
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.0504
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Advertising notebook for health tonics
- Description (Brief)
- Plastic notebook with color advertisements on cover. One side has image of a bottle of "Tono Sumbol" and reverse has image of "Liquid Pancreopepsine."
- "Tono Sumbol", a patent medicine tonic and cordial, was a speciality of William R. Warner of Philadelphia, PA. It's active ingredient was sumbol, a stimulant and tonic made from balsamic resin.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1895
- advertiser
- William R. Warner and Company
- maker
- Whitehead & Hoag Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.0753
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.0753
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Notebook
- 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.
- date made
- 1891
- maker
- Wm. Bertsch & Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.1358
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.1358
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Louis Bergdoll Brewing Company
- Description (Brief)
- Notebook advertising piece for the Louis Bergdoll Brewing Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The notebook's plastic cover has black print on front and back. On the front is the trademark image of a griffin, and describes the products as "Old Style Lager Beer // Protiwiner Export & Lager Beer." Reverse shows as image of a factory. Inside is a history of the company, a poison antidote list, calendars for 1905-1907, various other facts and miscellania, and many blank, lined paper pages.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1905
- advertiser
- Louis Bergdoll Brewing Company
- maker
- Whitehead & Hoag Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.0756
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.0756
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center

