Advertising Ephemera collection, 1850s-1980s
Navigate the Collection
Collection Restrictions Alert
Summary
- Creator:
- Advertising Ephemera. Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
- Abstract:
- The Advertising Ephemera Collection is composed of single advertisements, product and trade catalogs, advertising pamphlets, and broadsides. The advertisements are primarily American and from the late 19th and early to mid 20th century.
- Extent:
- 35 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.00014
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Advertising Ephemera Collection is composed of single advertisements, product and trade catalogs, advertising pamphlets, and broadsides. The advertisements are primarily American and from the late 19th and early to mid 20th century. The collection is divided into broad subject categories, based on the primary type of product or service being advertised, which are arranged in alphabetical order. Within each subject category material is divided based upon the form of the material; leaflets, letters, and sheets printed on both sides; trade cards (mechanical, metamorphic, see-thru, shape, fabric inserts, unusual feature, postcards and insert cards); booklets; special categories; and miscellaneous. A subseries of foreign advertising material consists predominately of travel related literature and is arrange alphabetically by country. The arrangement of oversize materials parallels the original arrangement.
The researcher should note that trade catalogs that are pamphlets may be found in several places in the Perkins Library: this collections; individually in the stacks as fully cataloged items; or as part of groups of old pamphlets for which the cataloging was by main entry only. Advertising broadsides may also be found in the Broadsides Collection and many collections of manuscripts also contain advertising materials.
Some useful reference sources for gathering further information on this type of material include:
Romaine, Lawrence B., "A Guide to American Trade Catalogs," 1944-1900 (New York, 1960).
Hammond, Dorothy, "Advertising Collectibles of Times Past," (Des Moines, Iowa, 1974).
Kaduck, John M., "Advertising Trade Cards," (Des Moines, Iowa, 1976).
McQuarry, Jim, "Collectors Guide to Advertising Cards," (Gas City, Indiana, 1975).
Additions to the collection have not been processed and therefore to do reflect the arrangement of the rest of the collection. Please refer to the detailed description below for more information about their content.
- Acquisition information:
- Items were purchased by or transferred to the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library in the 1970s, and 1990-2023.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Ginny Daley and Sarah Hamilton
Completed September 29, 1998
Encoded by Don Sechler
Updated by Meghan Lyon, December 2008
Updated to include accession 2014-0175 by Alice Poffinberger, October 2014
Updated to include accession 8/2014 by Alice Poffinberger, December 2014
Updated to include accession 2016-0258 by Katrina Martin, September 2016
Updated to include accession 2023-0008 by Tracy M. Jackson, January 2023.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Women -- Health and hygiene
Patent medicines -- Catalogs
Machinery -- Catalogs
Equipment and supplies -- Catalogs
Commercial catalogs
Building materials -- Catalogs
Automobiles -- Catalogs
House furnishings industry and trade
Advertising
Advertising, American
Advertising -- Tourist trade
Broadsides
Furniture -- Catalogs
Cookery
Clothing and dress
Household appliances
Recipes
Health products - Format:
- Business cards
Pamphlets
Ephemera
Cookbooks
Advertising cards
Playbills
Trade catalogs
Memorabilia - Names:
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Contents
Using These Materials
- Using These Materials Links:
-
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
This collection is currently being reprocessed to improve description and is unavailable until approximately August 2024. For more information, please contact the Rubenstein Library.
- Terms of access:
-
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.
- Before you visit:
- Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Advertising Ephemera Collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m17g6j