Research

Categories in Promotion and Marketing

  • Ad Flip  
    A large database of classic print ads dating back to 1940, including movie ads. About 10 percent of the archive is publicly available; the rest of the content can only be accessed through a paid subscription.
  • Chinese Movie Database  
    A multilingual search engine covering the entirety of Chinese film history. The website also features an assortment of film posters, the earliest of which date back to the 1970s.
  • Chronicling America  
    Search and read newspaper pages from 1900 to 1910 and find information about American newspapers published from 1690 to the present. Part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
  • Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Television Advertisements  
    This online exhibit features a 50-year retrospective of Coca-Cola television advertising. Users can view the advertisements and read about the history of television advertising in general and the marketing of Coca-Cola in particular. The site also offers a bibliography and a guide to the collection at the Library of Congress.
  • Fleischer Popeye Tribute  
    This website is dedicated to the history of Popeye animated shorts produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1930s. Here users can find an overview of Popeye's history, as well as information on Fleischer's stereoptical animation, stills from the cartoons, and a collection of Fleischer-era posters.
  • Gallery of Graphic Design  
    An online archive of advertising in American periodicals from the early 1930s to the late 1960s. Users can search for advertisements by periodical, advertiser, product, keyword, or year. The gallery features many advertisements for television sets and other broadcast-related items.
  • Internet Archive: Movie Trailers  
    A collection of 103 movie trailers.
  • Magic Lanterns, Magic Mirrors: A Centennial Salute  
    A selection of early equipment, posters, and photographs documenting the advent and very early years of motion pictures.
  • Margaret Herrick Library  
    Huge collection of film-related material, including fan magazines, photographs, clippings, screenplays, and more.
  • Midnight Ramble  
    A tribute page by film fan Michael Mills about African American cinema in the silent era and the golden age of Hollywood. The site features a filmography. For each film, the author includes a high-quality still and poster image.
  • Moving Image Collection Catalog  
    The Museum of the Moving Image's collection contains artifacts from every stage of producing, promoting, and exhibiting motion pictures, television, and digital media -- currently more than 130,000 objects. Holdings include licensed merchandise, technical apparatus, still photographs, production design materials, costumes, fan magazines, publicity materials, and video and computer games. The online catalog currently contains over 4,000 silent-era and licensed merchandise entries.
  • Rhizome   Paid Subscription Required
    Hosted by the New Museum, Rhizome is an online community devoted to digital media and Internet art, with a frequently updated blog, online discussion boards, and extensive archives and galleries. The ArtBase subsection is available to members through a $5/year subscription.
  • Silent Film Bookshelf  
    Curated by David Piece, this site reprints original documents from the silent film era. Includes reprints of historical reviews and magazine articles about the industry, as well as information about musical accompaniment of silent films, articles on famous theaters (such as the Roxy Theater in New York), and much more. Active through 1999.
  • Television History: The First 75 Years  
    This website provides a wealth of primary documentation on the history of television in the form of advertisements and newspaper clippings. Also features a photographic guide to television sets through the decades.
  • The Criterion Collection  
    Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to gathering important classic and contemporary films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. The website offers an “online cinematheque” with the possibility to buy or watch films online, film essays, interviews, reviews, top-ten lists, and festivals online.
  • William K. Everson Collection at New York University  
    The William K. Everson collection features a growing number of downloadable film-related advertisements, including full reproductions of press kits. There is also a photo section, which contains portraits of film stars autographed to Everson.