EN 121: English Composition

Do you have to find advertisements and analyze them in terms of cultural, social, and/or historical context?  Try the suggestions on this page!

Search for books, ebooks, articles, and more

•  Try databases with search limits for advertisements:
Vogue Archive (1892-current) [choose Advanced Search : Search options : Document type : Advertisement];
Harper's Bazaar Archive (will be 1867-    ; current content available: 1940-2015, with gaps)
Women's Magazine Archive
New York Times Historical (1851-2009)  [choose Advanced Search : Search options : Document type : Display ad]; 
HarpWeek (1857-1865) [select Search : Full Article Text - Standard Search : feature: Advertisement; limit dates to 1857 to 1865]

•  Check FIT Library's collection of magazines with ads,  Periodicals Collection, 6th floor.  See the Periodicals by Subject Research Guide to find titles owned by the Library.

Browse popular magazines for ads, such as: Life (Library has 1936-2000; also online available through Google books), Better Homes & Gardens (1950-current; also available through Women's Magazine Archive database, link below), House & Garden (1926-1993), Good Housekeeping (1885-1924; 1947-current; also available through Women's Magazine Archive database), Vogue [American] (1892 to current; also available through Vogue Archive database),  Seventeen (1947-1949; 1967 to current),  Esquire (1964 to current).  Periodicals Collection,  6th floor.

•  Try Google Magazines, for digitized magazines, including ads, such as Life (1936-1972) & Ebony (1959-2008)

Try searching the catalog by decade ("1960s" or "ninteen sixties") or by the name of an era or an event ("Vietnam War"). 

Here are some examples of books that might help with your research: