Comments on: Ad Blast from the Past

Ad Blast from the Past

Kattullus — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:57:01 -0800

Duke University has three image collections of old U.S. and Canadian advertisements. Ad*Access a database of over 7000 print ads from 1911 to 1956. Emergence of Advertising in America has 9000 images of ads from 1850-1920. Medicine and Madison Avenue has 600 medical ads and documents from 1911 to 1958. You can browse the collections by product, company, subject, year and categories or you can use the search function. Here are some of my favorites: Miss Clairol, They're Both in the Swim Today, Fancy Goods and Toy Bazaar, Sky Blue Pink, SAS Makes Airline History, A Montgomery Ward Hat that Becomes Nearly Every Woman, Radiant Peony and Hitler's Death Warrant.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:58:44 -0800

My gosh did they guilt people into buying war bonds.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:20:01 -0800

Also, Sears Roebuck goes North Korean. "...we, together with all loyal Americans, know that the wants of our Government are supreme." We sure were racist back then, part 209820.43

By: Help, I can't stop talking!

Help, I can't stop talking! — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:29:41 -0800

That Phillips' laxative ad was horribly disquieting. I know that word choice for that particular service can be rather difficult, but was it really necessary to describe their product as "thorough"? Maybe it's just me, but that seems to call to mind quite a vivid mental image.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:41:43 -0800

This is actually something I could get behind.

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:00:54 -0800

That Ad*Access site is amazing. Beautiful stuff.

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:05:44 -0800

Paleo Keds

By: SteveInMaine

SteveInMaine — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:56:13 -0800

I love looking at this stuff. When I was a young lad my folks had stacks of National Geographic magazines from the 1910s through the '30s. After exploring the world through the stories (and pictures of topless native women), I'd browse the ads and imagine what life was like then.

By: oaf

oaf — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:42:11 -0800

If only.

By: pantufla

pantufla — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:02:58 -0800

great stuff, thanks!

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:15:35 -0800

Good heavens. The "Montgomery Ward Hat that becomes nearly every woman" would make me look like a schizoid Anne of Green Gables.

By: tiburon

tiburon — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:53:39 -0800

Thanks for wasting my entire day. Great links!