CMU LibGuides: Business and Industrial History: Primary Sources

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Archives and Special Collections, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
One of the largest archives that documents Western Pennsylvania history. Collects and preserves records concerning the development of urban industrial society, especially in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.
Collections and Archives, Baker Library, Harvard Business School
Collects and makes available the records of business dating from the 14th century to the present and the records of the Harvard Business School since its founding in 1908. These varied collections include corporate archives, manuscripts, account ledgers, rare books, broadsides, photographs, company annual reports, and audiovisual and digital materials, as well as works of art by a diverse range of artists from around the world.
Directory of Corporate Archives In the United States and Canada
From the Society of American Archivists, Business Archives Section
Search Hagley Collections (Hagley Museum)
Collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley's collections document the interaction between business and our society's cultural, social, and political dimensions from the late 18th century to the present.
The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
Rockefeller Archive Center (Rockefeller University)
By collecting, managing, preserving and providing broad and equitable access to the historical records of philanthropy and other efforts to work on behalf of the public good, the Rockefeller Archive Center inspires critical analysis and contributes knowledge to diverse learning communities throughout the world.

Research Collections

Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration and Cultural Exchange
A vast range of visual, manuscript and printed materials sourced from over twenty key libraries and more than a dozen companies and trade organisations around the world. These original sources will help scholars to explore the history of fifteen major commodities and to examine the ways that these have changed the world.
Ad*Access
Over 7,000 U.S. and Canadian advertisements covering five product categories - Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Television, Transportation, and World War II propaganda - dated between 1911 and 1955. See research guide.
J. Walter Thompson Company Archive
Documents the history, operation, policies and accomplishments of one of the world's largest and oldest advertising firms. The papers here reveal many aspects of twentieth-century cultural, social, business, marketing, consumer and economic history while investigating the human psyche.
Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965
Provides a unique insight into the American consumer boom of the mid-20th century through access to the complete market research reports of Ernest Dichter, the era’s foremost consumer analyst, market research pioneer and widely-recognised ‘father’ of Motivational Research.

Newspapers & Magazines

Historical Newspapers: Wall Street Journal (1890 - current minus 17 years) This link opens in a new window
Historical full text of U. S. business newspaper. For current issues, 1984-present, go here. Fully searchable full page images from 2008 - current (with a 3-month embargo). are here.
Economist Magazine This link opens in a new window
Articles from 1986 to the present from this esteemed publication on worldwide economic and business topics. In ProQuest database.

Maps

See Sanborn Maps for detailed information on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.

Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970 This link opens in a new window
Produced for over a century, more than 660,000 Sanborn maps chart the growth and development of more than 12,000 American towns and cities. Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city or town, drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch. They were created to assist fire insurance companies as they assessed the risk associated with insuring a particular property. The maps list street blocks and building numbers including numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers. These maps are for non-commercial use only, and may not be downloaded, clipped, printed, resold, retained or used for commercial or business research purposes, including but not limited to environmental, property or other land use evaluations. Digital Sanborn Maps are reproduced and distributed under license from Environmental Data Resources, Inc. For information on how to obtain maps for commercial and business research purposes, go to www.edrnet.com/sanborn.

Manufacturers Mutal Fire Insurance Company Industrial Site Maps: 1894-1954
HUNT MFICHE-3 338.0973 M294 and Guide
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: California
HUNT MFILM-3 912.73 S19C153 No. 1-72, ca. 1890-1955.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Illinois
HUNT MFILM-3 912.73 S19I29 No. 1-66, ca. 1890-1976.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Massachusetts
HUNT MFILM-3 912.73 S19M414 No. 1-48, ca. 1880-1950
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Pennsylvania
HUNT MFILM-3 912.73 S19P415 No. 1-73, ca. 1880-1950

Pictorial Resources

Ad*Access
From Digital Scriptorium, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Browse or search for U. S. and Canadian newspaper and magazine ads from 1911-1955. The five main subject areas covered are radio, television, transportation, beauty and hygiene, and World War II.
Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920
From John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History/Digital Scriptorium, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Over 9,000 images relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. Search the collection or browse and search across categories. Includes a timeline of selected events in business technology, media, marketing, and advertising from 1850 to 1920.
Industrial Revolution in America [interactive multimedia].
Request from Offsite using link above
Presents a multimedia view of the United States as a center of industry through three main video-based presentations which are enhanced by a gallery of black-and-white stills, index, glossary, quiz, and interactive timeline. The gallery includes sketches of various inventions, innovations, and scenes from the 19th century.

Life Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
An extensive collection of the famed photojournalism magazine, spanning its very first issue in November, 1936 through December, 2000 in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format. Published by Time Inc., the magazine has featured story-telling through documentary photographs and informative captions. Each issue visually and powerfully depicted national and international events and topical stories, providing intimate views of real people and their real life situations. Has many ads throughout the magazine

19th Century American Trade Card
Boston Public Library
Over 4,000 advertising trade cards, with accompanying digital images.
TradeCardPlace
From Ben Crane.
For all who are interested in Victorian Trade Cards used to advertise American goods and services during the late 1800s.
Trade Catalogs in the University of Delaware Library
From Special Collections Department, University of Delaware.
Trade Catalogues and the American Home
Explore domestic consumerism, life and leisure in America between 1850-1950. This resource presents a wealth of highly illustrated primary source documents that highlight commercial tastes and consumer trends, and provide a valuable visual record for a breadth of interdisciplinary study.