Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920

Over 3,300 advertising items and publications dating from 1850 to 1920, illustrating the rise of consumer culture and the birth of a professionalized advertising industry in the United States. More »

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Lifebuoy A Safe-guard J0013
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Kodak, as you go K0266
View the highlight item: Be-Ro Home Recipes: Scones, Cakes, Pastry,...
Be-Ro Home Recipes: Scones, Cakes, Pastry,... CK0047
View the highlight item: The Thompson Blue Book on Advertising (1904)
The Thompson Blue Book on Advertising (1904) Q0012
View the highlight item: Guaranteed American Watches
Guaranteed American Watches A0677
View the highlight item: What a Man Looks for in a Girl
What a Man Looks for in a Girl P0091

About the Digital Collection »

This collection presents over 3,300 items relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. The materials, drawn from the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript 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. The project was made possible by grant funding to Duke University from the 1998 Library of Congress/Ameritech National Digital Library Competition.

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