The American Advertising Archive was founded in 2002, with generous donations from three of the top network television companies: NBC, CBS, and ABC. The goal of the archive is to capture the spirit, optimism, and consumerism of the golden age of product advertisements. Today, of course, advertisements are everywhere – on billboards, on clothing, and even embedded in movies or television shows. However, in their inception, advertisents were only accessible through printed media – such as newspapers – and through television.
Our Mission
The American Advertising Archive hopes to amass not only a complete collection of advertisements from the 1930s through the 1970s, but also, where possible, the items being advertised. Our goal is to provide visitors with a complete advertising experience that allows them to watch commercials in their original format, as well as interact with the advertised product.
When visiting the archive, you can experience the beauty and modernity of a 1950s kitchen, resplendent with period appliances! You can visit a playroom that is stocked with toys advertised in commericals that ran during Saturday morning cartoons! You can bask in the splendor of classic automobiles, all housed within our extensive garage! Each of these experiences – and more – is illuminated by a wide variety of some of the most memorable American television commercials.
Our vast collection of items and television commercials is limited by space, so the collections on display will change thoughout the year. However, the entirety of our television advertisement archive is available through our digital library. Visitors may access the digital archive at any time, and browse through thousands of catalogued commercials.
Recent Additions
We are pleased to announce several new additions to our collection:
- The Romance of the Open Road: Automobile Travel in the 1930s
- All I Want for Christmas: Popular Toys of the 1960s
- The Post-War Sartorialist: A Collection of Mens, Women’s, and Children’s Clothing from 1945 – 1955
- Coca-Cola: The Rise of the Carbonated Beverage
Each collection is available in its entirety in the digital archive, but stay tuned for upcoming exhibitions showcasing these three new collections.
“Advertising is the greatest art form of the twentieth century.”
-Marshall Mcluhan
