Collection of advertisements that depict American history
Collection
Call Number: WA MSS S-2622
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of collecting cards, advertising cards, sticker books, sheet music, and printed ephemera that document popular culture images of the United States and North America, as viewed chiefly by countries throughout Europe, including France, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The collection provides depictions of American subjects and themes from primarily European viewpoints used by companies to advertise their products or as premiums accompanying products. Subjects particularly well represented include Indigenous peoples of North America and the American West, as well as natural landscapes and historical events, such as national parks and the American Civil War. Prominent individuals represented in the collection include United States presidents, particularly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and historical figures including Daniel Boone, Sitting Bull, Kit Carson, and Wyatt Earp.
Dates
- 1870 - 2004
- Majority of material found within 1887 - 1970
Language of Materials
In English, Italian, German, French, Dutch, and Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Collection of Advertisements that Depict American History is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Kevin Jackson on the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Fund for Western Americana, William Robertson Coe Fund No. 3, Thomas W. Streeter Fund, Arthur Corbitt Hoskins Memorial Fund, and Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2009-2019. Some materials gifted by Kevin Jackson, 2009-2015. For more information consult the appropriate curator.
Arrangement
Organized into ten series: I. 2009 Acquisition, circa 1870-1992. II. 2010 Acquisition, 1870-1994. III. 2011 Acquisitions, 1876-1992. IV. 2012 Acquisitions, circa 1930s-circa 1980s. V. 2013 Acquisition, 1892-1995. VI. 2014 Acquisition, circa 1890s-circa 1951. VII. 2015 Acquisition, 2004. VIII. 2016 Acquisition, 1956. IX. 2018 Acquisitions, circa 1910s-1993. X. 2020 Acquisition, 1899-circa 1960s.
Extent
19.5 Linear Feet (30 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
This collection consists of collecting cards, advertising cards, sticker books, sheet music, and printed ephemera that document popular culture images of the United States and North America, as viewed chiefly by countries throughout Europe, including France, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The collection provides depictions of American subjects and themes from primarily European viewpoints used by companies to advertise their products or as premiums accompanying products. Subjects particularly well represented include Indigenous peoples of North America and the American West, as well as natural landscapes and historical events, such as national parks and the American Civil War. Prominent individuals represented in the collection include United States presidents, particularly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and historical figures including Daniel Boone, Sitting Bull, Kit Carson, and Wyatt Earp.
Processing Information
This is an open collection to which additions are expected. Consequently, it is organized by accession, with the contents of each accession arranged in parallel fashion.
- Advertising -- Europe
- Advertising -- United States
- Advertising cards
- Boone, Daniel, 1734-1820 -- Pictorial works
- Carson, Kit, 1809-1868 -- Pictorial works
- Chromolithographs
- Earp, Wyatt, 1848-1929 -- Pictorial works
- Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) -- Pictorial works
- Indians of North America -- Pictorial works
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Pictorial works
- Popular culture -- Pictorial works
- Presidents -- United States -- Pictorial works
- Printed ephemera
- Sheet music
- Sitting Bull, 1831-1890 -- Portraits
- Sticker books
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Pictorial works
- United States -- Pictorial works
- Washington, George, 1732-1799 -- Pictorial works
- West (U.S.) -- Pictorial works
- Title
- Guide to the Collection of Advertisements that Depict American History
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- by Matthew Daniel Mason and Sarah Lerner
- Date
- October 2009, updated December 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.