Descriptive Summary
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke
UniversityCompton Advertising, Inc.
Compton Advertising, Inc. Records, 1919-1956 and undated
Material in English
2.0 Linear Feet
100 Items
For current information on the location of
these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Compton Advertising, Inc. was founded in 1937, formed out of the former company Blackman Advertising, Inc. In the 1980s Compton merged with, and was eventually absorbed by, Saatchi & Saatchi.
The Compton Advertising, Inc. Records cover the years 1915-1956 and includes proofs of house advertisements and brochures promoting Blackman Advertising, Inc.; its successor Compton Advertising, Inc.; and the Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc. agency. Contains an album of mounted photographs; and credentials charts intended for new business presentations. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Copyright Notice
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Preferred Citation[Identification of item], Compton Advertising, Inc. Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Compton Advertising, Inc. Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift from O. Milton Gossett in 2003.
Processing Information
Processed by Melissa Pascoe, Ashley Urquhart, February 2009
Encoded by Jessica Wood, March 2009
Accession 2003-0171 is described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
Historical Notes
Blackman Company: The Blackman Company was founded by Oscar Blackman and Frank Hermes in 1908, and became known for its 60-year handling of the Procter & Gamble company beginning in the 1920s. In 1935, the company was purchased by its employees Richard Compton (President), Leonard Bush and Alfred Stanford, and two years later was renamed Compton Advertising, Inc. After a period of marked growth during the 1950s and 1960s, Compton merged in 1977 with the Saatchi & Saatchi agency, and was ultimately bought out by that company in 1982. In 1984 Compton was renamed Saatchi, Saatchi & Compton; in 1986, the company was renamed Saatchi & Saatchi.
Blackett-Sample-Hummert: The Blackett-Sample-Hummert Company was founded in 1923 in Chicago. Beginning in the late 1920s, the company became known for its work on behalf of Procter & Gamble soap products, producing daytime radio dramas promoting the products; these became known as soap operas. Some twenty years later, in 1948, the company relocated to New York City, a hub of television broadcasting. The company eventually became known as Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and was purchased by Saatchi & Saatchi for $75 million in 1986. The two companies merged soon after to form the subsidiary company Saatchi & Saatchi DFS Compton.
Collection Overview
The Compton Advertising, Inc. Records cover the years 1915-1956 and includes proofs of house advertisements and brochures promoting Blackman Advertising, Inc.; its successor Compton Advertising, Inc.; and the Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc. agency. Contains an album of mounted photographs; and credentials charts intended for new business presentations.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four categories by company name: Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc.; Blackman Company; Blackman-Ross Company; and Compton Advertising, Inc. Items were arranged alphabetically by company name and date.
Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- Compton, Richard J., 1892-1951.
- Hummert, Frank, 1882-1966.
- Compton Advertising, inc.
- Blackett-Sample-Hummert, inc.
- Blackman-Ross Company.
- Advertising.
- Advertising--United States.
- Advertising agencies--United States--History--20th century.
- House organs.
- Proofs.
- Photograph albums.
- Photographs.
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Related Material
Related materials may be found in the following Hartman Center collections:
Bates Worldwide, Inc. Records
O. Milton Gossett Papers
James O'Shaughnessy Papers
Walter Weir Papers
Additional related material may be located in the following collections of the J. Walter Thompson Company Archives:
Advertising Vertical Files
Howard Henderson Papers
Contents of Collection
Blackett, Sample & Hummert, Inc.
1Magazine advertisements, 1934-1935
New business credentials, circa 1936
Photograph album of personnel, circa 1936 (3 folders)
Blackman Company
1 (continued)House advertisements, 1920, 1924-1932(4 folders)
Blackman-Ross Company
1 (continued)House advertisements appearing in Printer's Ink, 1915-1920(2 folders)
Compton Advertising, Inc.
1 (continued)Advertisements, 1940-1956
[Primarily house advertisements; includes one advertisement for Proctor & Gamble's Duz detergent.]