"What recommends commerce to me is its enterprise
and bravery." ~ Henry
David Thoreau
"The successful person makes a habit of doing what
the failing person
doesn't do." ~ Thomas Edison
"The best ad is a good product." ~ Alan H. Meyer
online
resources
Especially for Teachers...
Advertisements - (Prints and Photographs) View a selection of images depicting advertisements from the online version of Pictorial Americana.
Advertising and Propaganda - (Special Presentation) This section of the American Women Gateway offers search tips for finding advertising related posters and graphic ephemera in the Prints and Photographs collections.
Advertising Timeline - (Special Presentation) This timeline includes selected events in business technology, media, marketing, and advertising from 1850-1920.
Blacks in Advertising - (Cybercast) Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism at Texas A&M University, discusses myths and stereotypes in "Blacks in Advertising Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."
Branding of America - (Collaborative Project) In this collaborative online project featuring primary sources depicting famous American brand names, students are invited to submit products from their own communities.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers - (Digital Collection) Search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Browse papers for advertisements.
Closer Look at the Stars and Stripes, A - (Special Presentation) Learn about the purpose, organization and content of this eight-page weekly newspaper published for Army forces in France from February 8, 1918, to June 13, 1919. Make sure to browse the advertising section of this presentation.
Commercials - (Internet Resources) Scroll to the end of this Motion Picture and Television Reading Room online for internet sites offering online access to television commercial footage.
Current Business News Via Wire Service - (Internet Resources) Link to these Library of Congress recommended sites for information about current business topics.
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920 - (Special Presentation) Learn about and link to the 11 categories in this collection: ephemera, broadsides, cookbooks, advertising publications, J.Walter Thompson ads, Kodakiana, Lux, R.C.Maxwell, Pond’s scrapbooks and tobacco advertising.
Guide to Business History Resources - (Internet Resources) This online guide suggests both bibliographic and internet resources to help students research the history of a company.
Household Appliances - (Prints and Photographs) View a selection of images depicting advertisements for household appliances from the online version of Pictorial Americana.
Library of Congress Ad Highlights - (Wise Guide) View television and print highlights from the Library of Congress advertising campaign created in partnership with the Advertising Council.
Television Advertising: A Brief History - (Special Presentation) With its roots in radio, television impacts how products are advertised to consumers. Come see and say, And now a word from our sponsors...
American Treasures: Doublemint Gum - (Exhibition) Wrigley's Doublemint gum was first produced in 1914. Throughout its long history, twins have been used to advertise the product.
American Treasures: Walk Softly - (Exhibition)
This letter contains what is thought to be the first recorded use of the phrase “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick,” which was later to become a trademark description of Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy.
Capturing the Memories - (America's Library) Enjoy this short story from America's Library about the introduction of the Kodak camera into American culture.
Explore the States Treasure Hunt - (America's Library) Go on a treasure hunt with your students and explore the America's Library features of the 50 United States. Find products treasured by various communities around the country.
His Master’s Voice - (Wise Guide) Learn the story behind the Victor record trademark – "His Master’s Voice."
Name That Brand! - (Wise Guide) Read this article about name brands.
Today in History (July 5) P.T. Barnum - (Today in History) On this day in 1810 circus entrepreneur, Phineas Taylor Barnum, was born. Even though he did not invent the three ring circus, his name is still associated with the spectacle he called "the greatest show on earth."
Today in History (March 26) In Vogue - (Today in History) On this date, publisher Conde Nast was born. Read how his class targeted publications influenced the fashion industry.
Today in History (May 2) Good Housekeeping - (Today in History) This date marks the debut of the first issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, which later became known for its "Seal of Approval" award to selected consumer products.
Use these lesson plans (created
by educators for educators) to explore advertising in America
with your students in your classroom:
Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal - (Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8) Students trace Marco Paul’s 1840s journey through the Erie Canal. This lesson inlcudes a variety of Erie Canal related ads.
Thank you, Mr. Edison - (Grades 7-12) Students investigate electrification as both a technological and social process. Lesson 3 focuses on merchandising and advertising.
America at the Centennial - (Grades 9-12) Students analyze items and images of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 and question what these things said about America.
All History is Local - (Grades 9-12) Creating an archive of primary source materials constitutes the principal activity of a year-long American Studies class focusing on historiography and the use of primary sources. Students collect primary source materials from their local communities and analyze the interplay between American and local/personal history.
Doing the Decades - (Grades 6-12) Students create multimedia projects based on their investigation of social and economic themes between 1890-1940. Students may choose to create a newspaper from their decade, including advertisements relevant to the time and place.
Is there
a title (or two) that you always read to (or with) your students
when teaching about advertising? Are there invaluable reference
books that you use when working with this theme? Staff from The
Library of Congress have generously donated favorite titles
for the advertising theme. We hope you will contribute
your favorite titles to our growing bibliography!
Baseball Cards, 1887-1914 - (Summary and Teaching Resources) Were these cards educational for children, or simply an advertising tactic of the tobacco corporations?
