PIPRR

Advertising

Our collections contain thousands of print advertisements dating from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Explore the evolution of products, marketing techniques, representations of gender, graphic design, and other topics. Our holdings contain examples of both local and national advertisements from businesses in various industries.

• In what ways did historic advertisements appeal to consumers? Are there discernible appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos in the ads?
• What various purposes did images serve when accompanying text in ads?
• What can various ads tell us about societal norms of a time in history?
• How did different typefaces and font sizes contribute to ads? What effects did such variations likely produce in viewers?
• How do advertisements reflect developments in media technology?

• Advertising America database
• Historic and contemporary newspaper databases
• The Chester County Digital Collection of historic business items
• The Sharples Co. Digital Collection of advertising and business correspondence
• The WCU Student Newspapers Collection