Current Collection
An 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.
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- Company
- Palmolive Company (242)
- Procter & Gamble Co. (234)
- American Airlines, Inc. (198)
- Zenith Radio Corporation (169)
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- Product
- Television (292)
- Palmolive Soap (259)
- Various (246)
- War Bonds (171)
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- Subject
- Illustration--Drawing (3965)
- Transportation--Airlines (1592)
- Transportation--Railroads (736)
- Beauty and Hygiene--Cosmetics (696)
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Categories
Beauty and Hygiene (1911 - 1956)
This category includes products (such as cosmetics, soaps, and shaving supplies) that were targeted for personal hygiene and enhancing one's attractiveness.
Cosmetics: 1920s |Cosmetics: 1930s |Cosmetics: 1940s |Cosmetics: 1950s |Dental Supplies: 1911-1929 |Dental Supplies: 1930s |Dental Supplies: 1940s-1950s |Deodorant: 1925-1952 |Feminine Hygiene: 1920s |Feminine Hygiene: 1930s |Feminine Hygiene: 1940s |Feminine Hygiene: 1950s |Hair Preparations: 1917-1939 |Hair Preparations: 1940s |Hair Preparations: 1950s |Rouge: 1918-1930 |Shaving Supplies: 1914-1953 |Soaps: 1920s |Soaps: 1930s |Soaps: 1940s |Soaps: 1950s
Radio (1922 - 1956)
Advertisements for radios, radio parts, and radio programs are included in this category. Also included are a small number of miscellaneous electronic products, such as hearing aids, telephones, etc. originally included in the Radio category Pre-1955 Competitive Ads File.Television (1939 - 1957)
Advertisements featuring television sets, as well as a few other miscellaneous electronics, are included in this category. An interesting feature of many of these ads is their promotion of individual television programs.Transportation (1938 - 1957)
This category deals with the many modes of mass transportation available during the first half of the twentieth century - airlines, rental cars, buses, trains and ships.
Aircraft: 1946-1952 |Airlines: 1938-1942 |Airlines: 1943-1944 |Airlines: 1945 |Airlines: 1946 |Airlines: 1947 |Airlines: 1948 |Airlines: 1949 |Airlines: 1950 |Airlines: 1951 |Airlines: 1952 |Airlines: 1953 |Airlines: 1954-1957 |Buses: 1945 |Buses: 1946 |Buses: 1947-1949 |Buses: 1950-1954 |Rental Cars: 1947-1954 |Railroads: 1944 |Railroads: 1945 |Railroads: 1946 |Railroads: 1947 |Railroads: 1948 |Railroads: 1949 |Railroads: 1950 |Railroads: 1951 |Railroads: 1952 |Railroads: 1953 |Railroads: 1954 |Ships: 1946-1949 |Ships: 1950-1954
World War II (1942 - 1945)
World War II advertisements are ads sponsored by the U.S. Government or ads paid for by businesses in support of Government-sponsored campaigns, such as V-mail, or bond drives. Ads from the World War II era may also be found in the other four categories; however, those advertisements are primarily targeted towards promoting a company's product rather than the war effort as reflected in this category.