LibGuides: Ads: Finding Historical & Contemporary Advertisements: Locating Visual Examples

Book Collection Highlights

All American Ads

The library has a book for each decade from 1900-1990.

20th Century Alcohol & Tobacco: 100 Years of Stimulating Ads

The One Show: International Advertising Awards

20th Century Fashion: 100 Years of Apparel Ads

20th Century Travel: 100 years of globe-trotting [travel] ads

The following websites have a selection of historic advertisements. Read their descriptions for more detail and search suggestions.

Ad*Access
Based at Duke University, this site has over 7,000 print ads published in the United States and Canada between 1911 - 1955.
Ads of the World
Partnered with CLIO, this site has both print and commercial advertisements.
Clipland
This site hosts a short form media database. Scroll down for the 'commercials' section.
Emergence of Advertising in America 1850-1920 (EAA)
Based at Duke University, this collection has over 3,300 items relating to the early history of advertising in the United States.
Gallery of Graphic Design
This site has a historical collection of advertisements from print resources. Browse them using the 'summary by advertiser' option.
Prelinger Archives
An archive of over 60,000 digitized films. Look under 'topics & subjects' on the left-side menu for advertising collections.
Retrostatic.com
TV commercials from the 1980s and 1990s.

Log in with your FIT credentials to access the following databases which have scanned issues of magazines and newspapers - including advertisements.

Artstor This link opens in a new window
Try a general search for 'advertisements' and narrow your results from there. Or select the Washington University: Walt Reed Illustration Archive from the 'Artstor collections' menu and browse ads from the late 19th to mid 20th century.
Ebony Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Ebony magazine coverage from 1945-2014
Esquire Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Esquire magazine coverage from 1933-2014.
Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window
Search every issue of Harper's Bazaar (1867-current) for ads by choosing 'advanced search' and limiting your 'document type' to 'advertisement.'
HarpWeek This link opens in a new window
Search the 1857-1865 issues of Harper's Weekly for ads by selecting 'search' then 'Harper's Weekly indexes' and checking the 'advertising' box.
New York Times Historical [1851-2019] This link opens in a new window
To find ads, choose 'advanced search' and limit 'document type' to 'display ad' (rather than the 'advertisement' option).
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
Search every issue of American Vogue (1892-current) for ads by choosing 'advanced search' and limiting your 'document type' to 'advertisement.'
Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Search this database of women's magazines for ads by choosing the 'advanced search' option and limiting your 'document type' to 'advertisement.'

Browsing magazines is another great way to find advertisements. Check the research guide below for a list of magazines that we have here in the library.

Periodicals by Title and Subject
by Elizabeth McMahon Last Updated Apr 19, 2024 3755 views this year

Magazines via Google Books
Google Books is more than just books, it now archives a number of important and popular magazines with scanned issues, including Life, Spin, Dwell, Ebony, The Advocate and others.
Life Magazine (1936-1972)
LIFE Magazine is a photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century.
New York Magazine (1968-1997)
With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

Browsing magazines is a great way to find advertisements. The library subscribes to over 400 titles and they are located on the 4th floor. Check the research guide below to see a list of titles or browse by subject.

Periodicals by Title and Subject
by Elizabeth McMahon Last Updated Apr 19, 2024 3755 views this year

Log in with your FIT credentials to access the following databases which have scanned issues of magazines and newspapers - including advertisements.

Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window
Search every issue of Harper's Bazaar (1867-current) for ads by choosing 'advanced search' and limiting your 'document type' to 'advertisement.'
New York Times Historical [1851-2019] This link opens in a new window
The most recent year contained in this archive is 2018. To find ads, choose 'advanced search' and limit 'document type' to 'display ad' (rather than the 'advertisement' option).
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
Search every issue of American Vogue (1892-current) for ads by choosing 'advanced search' and limiting your 'document type' to 'advertisement.'

These websites have a selection of current advertisements.

AdCouncil
The Ad Council is one of America's leading producers of public service communications.
Adforum
Over 200,000 advertisements are available on the Adforum site goin back to 1999.
Ads of the World
Partnered with CLIO, this site has over 72805 print advertisements and video commercials.
Facebook Ad Library
The ad library provides advertising transparency by offering a comprehensive, searchable collection of all ads currently running from across Facebook apps and services, including Instagram.
Movie trailers in iTunes
Browse trailers for current movies in iTunes.

Ads: Finding Historical & Contemporary Advertisements

Advertising Magazines by Decade