Monday, January 6, 2003

Even more old American things. Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls, 8000 covers, all scanned in a good resolution. Amazing. "The dime novels were aimed at youthful, working-class audiences and distributed in massive editions at newsstands and dry goods stores. Though the phrase conjures up stereotyped yarns of Wild West adventure, complete with lurid cover illustration, many other genres were represented: tales of urban outlaws, detective stories, working-girl narratives of virtue defended, and costume romances." 10:49:04 PM     |

More old American ads. This time not that old. Ad*Access has archived over 7000 ads from 1911-1955. Again, browsing for hours is guaranteed. "Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II, providing a coherent view of a number of major campaigns and companies through images preserved in one particular advertising collection available at Duke University." 10:43:40 PM     |

Really old ads are at EAA - The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920. Fabulous website. One can browse there for hours. "The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920 (EAA) presents over 9,000 images, with database information, relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. The materials, drawn from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, provide a significant and informative perspective on the early evolution of this most ubiquitous feature of modern American business and culture." 10:19:16 PM     |