World War II & Advertising: Digitized Collections

Database of U.S. and Canadian print ad images (1911-1957) from the J. Walter Thompson Company's Competitive Advertisements Collection, organized into five subject areas, including a section on World War II. For additional information on advertising campaigns during World War II, please see an article titled Brief History of World War II Advertising Campaigns. This article, part of the Ad*Access on-line image database, highlights six major advertising initiatives during World War II including anti-inflation, awards, conservation, post-war, V-mail, and war bonds.

A database of over 600 advertisements and historical documents dated between 1911 and 1958, relating to the creation and influence of health-related advertising, some from the World War II era. For example, the "Missing Man" advertisements from Scotts Towels urged Americans to stay healthy to maintain productivity during the war years. Search for other advertisements by year.

During World War II, the United States government instituted mandatory rationing of many items, including fuel, gasoline, food, tires, cars, stoves, typewriters, sugar, and footwear. These measures, introduced by the United States government's Office of Price Administration, were advertised through the War Advertising Council.

This database provides descriptions only of outdoor advertising images dating from the 1920s to the 1990s, and is searchable by date. Additionally, one may search by product name or simply keyword(s). The shift in advertising in late 1941/early 1942 from specific products to World War II programs and measures is evident in the outdoor advertisements in the collection. War bonds, conservation measures, and home-front productivity are a few topics covered by outdoor advertisements from this time period.