American Advertising Museum collection
Scope and Contents
Items from the collection of the American Advertising Museum in Portland, Oregon, which operated from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Most items relate either to the Portland Ad Club or to the Pacific Coast Advertising Men's Association.
Portland Ad Club materials consist of a program and songbook for the 1912 Annual Grub-Meetin' and Can-Tyin' Exhibition; a statement of practices from the Better Business Bureau with the Portland Ad Club seal on it; a photograph of a Portland Telegram cartoon about honest advertising legislation in Oregon, depicting the Portland Ad Club as a steamroller driven by Better Business Bureau Secretary-Manager Charles W. English; and materials relating to at least one "Ad Club Follies" performance. The Ad Club Follies items consist of a photograph of the cast for the April 20, 1922 performance, and a program, possibly for the same performance. One page of the program has a cut-out photograph of a performer in blackface glued to it.
Pacific Coast Advertising Men's Association materials consist of programs for the association's 16th annual convention, which was held in Portland. One program is marked as belonging to Charles F. Berg. The collection also includes a sheet with two images depicting the grounds of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dates
- Creation: 1904-1922
Creator
- American Advertising Museum (Portland, Or.) (Compiler, Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative History
The American Advertising Museum was founded by the Portland Advertising Federation in Portland, Oregon, and opened in 1986. Its founding board members included Mick Scott, Byron Ferris, Jack Matlack, and Leonard W. Lanfranco. At the time of its opening, it was located in the Erickson Saloon Building on NW 2nd Avenue. The museum had become defunct by late 2004.
Sources: "Museum of Advertising gradually taking shape," by Judy Rooks, Oregonian, April 30, 1986, page C8; "Showman extraordinaire Jack Matlack dies at age 76," by Holly Danks, Oregonian, October 20, 1990, page E8; "Former newspaper executive dies," by Dennis McCarthy, Oregonian, May 5, 2002, page B6; "The mission: preserve history," by Dana Tims, Oregonian, December 9, 2004, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Wilsonville weekly section, page 6; obituary for Byron Ferris, Oregonian, January 12, 2012, page B5.
Administrative History
The Portland Ad Club was founded in March 1905 in Portland, Oregon, for the mutual benefit of local men in the advertising industry. By the 1940s, it was known as the Portland Advertising Federation. It ceased operations in January 2021, becoming ThinkNW.
Sources: "Form Advertising Men's Club," Oregonian, March 8, 1905, page 5; notice in the Oregonian, "Displays to Be Seen," January 29, 1940, page 5; sponsored article in the Oregonian, "Bon Voyage to Portland Advertising Federation...Welcome ThinkNW," January 24, 2021, page D3.
Administrative History
The Pacific Coast Advertising Men's Association was formed in 1904. Its 1919 annual convention was held in Portland, Oregon. The association later became the Advertising Association of the West. In 1967, the Advertising Association of the West merged with the Advertising Federation of America to become the American Advertising Federation.
Sources: "Our History" section on "About Us" page, American Advertising Federation website, (accessed July 2026), https://aaftriangle.org/about/; "Welcome Extended to Ad Men," Oregon Journal, June 9, 1919, page 1.
Full Extent
0.15 Cubic Feet (4 folders in shared box; 2 folders (12x15) in shared flat box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Items that belonged to the American Advertising Museum of Portland, Oregon. Most items, which include programs, a photograph, and an editorial cartoon, relate to either the Portland Ad Club or the Pacific Coast Advertising Men's Association. The collection also includes images of the grounds of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. The American Museum of Advertising opened in 1986, and was defunct by late 2004.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Byron Ferris, March 2005 (Lib. Acc. 25618).
Separated Materials
Portland Ad Club medal was separated to Museum Collections, Oregon Historical Society.
Subject
- Portland Ad Club (Or.) (Organization)
- Pacific Coast Advertising Men's Association (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the American Advertising Museum collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2026
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org