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 14 items.
Page 1 of 2
The Right of All the Way, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Two girls and a boy carrying books, walking under telephone lines and waving to a locomotive going by
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1912
- 1910-1920
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000008 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
A United Nation, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- A long line of people all talking on a telephone
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1910
- 1910-1920
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000013 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Our Stockholders, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Illustration of large crowd of people with an inset of a mother opening mail with children at her knee
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1919
- 1910-1920
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000081 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Our Triple Responsibility, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Illustration of woman with paper, man on telephone, and man with cable above a town. Inset of woman operator. Text lists responsiblities of service to the public, justice to the employees, and security to stockholders
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1920
- 1910-1920
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000082 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
A Community of Owners Nation-wide, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Illustration of large groups of people representing the growth of Bell System share holders from 1907 to 1923
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1923
- 1920-1930
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000083 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
The Measure of Progress, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- William Oberhardt illustration of man holding a candlestick style telephone with bi-plane, ship, truck, locomotive, and street car in the fore and back ground
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1920
- 1920-1930
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Subject
- Oberhardt, William 1882-1958
- Local number
- AC0059-0000100 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Democracy, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Illustrated by a large varied group of people carrying the telephone company. Text discusses stockholders
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1921
- 1920-1930
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000012 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Reach out and touch someone, [color advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Mother calling the grandparents to report baby's first steps while father gives the baby a helping hand
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1980
- 1980-1990
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000021 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Why you need a kitchen extension phone, [black & white advertisement; tear sheet]
- Summary
- Image of woman talking on the telephone in the kitchen with two children and farm yard in the back ground
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1959
- 1950-1960
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000099 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Reach out. Reach out and touch someone [color advertisement with reproduction photograph]
- Notes
- In Series 4
- Summary
- Color advertisement (reproduction of photographs) for Bell System of African American boy on telephone saying "Tooth fairy's been here three times!" Photographer unidentified
- Cite as
- N. W. Ayer Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1970
- 1980
- Ca. 1970-1980
- 1970-1980
- advertiser
- American Telephone and Telegraph Company
- Local number
- AC0059-0000236 (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
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