Research

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  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.