Advertising is an integral part of the modern American landscape both within the business world and the wider culture. The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920 is a fascinating exploration of the early development of this pivotal twentieth-century industry. Produced by Duke University, the materials included in this Web site come primarily from the comprehensive collections of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History of the Special Collections Library at Duke.
The Emergence of Advertising in America includes representative samples from the library's vast holdings. Carefully indexed, the site is a very useful resource for both the historian searching for images for a specific company or industry and anyone wishing to learn more about the early days of advertising. Divided into eleven major categories, each section includes an extensive historical note, bibliography, and links to the database, in which the viewer can browse the category or conduct specific searches within the category or throughout the entire site. An accompanying timeline is particularly helpful in placing these images in an historical context.