Journalism & Mass Communication Research Guide : Historical Research

An excellent image database of over 7,000 U.S. and Canadian advertisements covering five product categories - Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Television, Transportation, and World War II propaganda - dated between 1911 and 1955. To get started, click on 'browse' on the left-hand side of the screen.

This collection consists of 908 boldly colored and graphically diverse original posters produced from 1936 to 1943 as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. These striking silkscreen, lithograph, and woodcut posters were designed to publicize health and safety programs; cultural programs including art exhibitions, musical performances; travel and tourism and more.

This resource presents over 9,000 images relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. The materials, drawn from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, provide a significant and informative perspective on the early evolution of this most ubiquitous feature of modern American business and culture. To familiarize oneself with the collection, click on 'browse' on the left-hand side of the screen

This collection presents a variety of television advertisements, never-broadcast outtakes, and experimental footage reflecting the historical development of television advertising for a major commercial product. While the interface is not user-friendly, this is a useful historical resource for those interested in the history of advertising.

This website contains color images of the contents of the Philip Morris USA Inc. Advertising Archive. These images include print ads, outdoor ads, point-of-sale and direct marketing materials dating back to the early 1900s, including some materials which may not have been published or publicly displayed. While the user interface is not ideal, successful searches can be completed using keywords such as 'marlboro' or other brand names. Searches can also be limited based on date range.

As part of the Internet Archive, this collection offers easy access to a number of commercials from the early years of television. With over 1,000 spots, it covers a wide variety of commercial products.