HIST 177
Reference Sources
- Britannica online This link opens in a new windowExcellent place to find basic information about any technology.
- American DecadesThis reference source contains short entries on key technologies from 1900 to 2000.
- WikipediaObtain basic historical information.
Citation Assistance
American Consumer Culture
- American Consumer Culture: Market Research and the American BusinessAmerican Consumer Culture: Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965 - Contains thousands of reports commissioned by companies such as Philip Morris, Chrysler, Exxon and CBS on consumer goods ranging from tobacco and broadcasting to cars and hotels. Features the complete market research reports of Ernest Dichter, the era’s foremost consumer analyst and market research pioneer.
- American Consumer Culture: Trade Catalogues and the American HomeAmerican Consumer Culture: Trade Catalogues and the American Home, 1850-1950 - Advertisements reflecting one hundred years of changing commercial tastes and consumer trends, attitudes towards race, the family and domestic sphere, and advancements in technology. Includes trade catalogues, cards and marketing ephemera.
Indexes to Primary Sources
- Reader's guide retrospective This link opens in a new windowAn index to periodical literature from 1890 to 1982. Most of these are available in the KU Libraries. Many will be on microfilm.
Select Digital Primary Sources
- Academic search complete This link opens in a new windowAn excellent sources starting in the 1980s. Be warned that you cannot search advertisements.
- Business source complete This link opens in a new windowEven though this database focuses on business, remember every technology has to be bought and sold. This database has good coverage from the mid 1970s on.
- Digital Collections of The Henry Ford MuseumOver 26 million artifacts and digitized documents from the Henry Ford Archive of American Innovation.
- Google MagazinesVariety of magazines freely available from Google. Be warned there is not any easy way to print or save. Titles can searched by keyword or flipped through.
- Historical Annual Reports This link opens in a new windowSearch annual reports of public companies from 1844 to 2008. In addition to annual summaries, this database includes financials.
- Liberty Magazine Historical Archive, 1924-1950 This link opens in a new windowOnce called the second most important magazine in the US, Liberty covers from the 1920s through the 1950s.
- New York Times with index This link opens in a new windowThe most important American newspaper in the 20th century.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowAlthough this database doesn't have images or PDFs of original texts, the content here covers a significant portion of the twentieth century.
- Vanderbilt Television News ArchiveSearch and watch various television news broadcasts starting in 1968.
- Vogue archive This link opens in a new windowSearch all pages of the American edition of Vogue, including advertisements.
- Wall Street journal (historical) This link opens in a new windowAmerica's most read business newspaper.
- Women’s Magazine Archive 1 & 2Search or browse the pages of Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, Parents, Seventeen and other magazines geared towards women.
Life Magazine
- Life Magazine Digital Archive This link opens in a new windowSearch and browse the pages of the 20th centuries most important photographic magazine.
- Life TagsSearch the images of Life by object. Use this database to look for things like "keyboard" or "kitchen sink."
Need Help?
Sara Morris
Contact:
Watson Library, Room 350
1425 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7544
1425 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7544
785-864-8907
Advertisements
- The Advertising ArchivesCollection of British and American advertisements.
- John W. Hartman CenterAccess the digital collections of Duke's Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, & Marketing History. The collections include TV ads, print ads, papers of advertising firms, and collections focused on specific products.