Roy Lightner Collection of antique advertisements, 1871-2009 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Lightner, Roy, collector
Abstract:
Roy Lightner was an advertising and marketing executive, primarily with N.W. Ayer & Son agency, from which he retired in 1980, and with Carden & Cherry Advertising of Nashville, Tenn. The Roy Lightner Collection of Antique Advertisements spans the years 1871-2009 and includes primarily print advertisements clipped from U.S. magazines. Also present are proofs of print advertisements and 16mm reels of television commercials, much of which was produced by the N.W. Ayer & Son agency during Lightner's career there. Advertisements predominantly focus on automobiles, railroads, insurance companies and manufacturers of brand name consumer goods. Over 300 companies are represented in the collection, including AT&T, Buick, Cadillac, Campbell's, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Dodge, Du Pont, Kodak, Ford, General Electric, General Mills, General Motors, Lincoln-Mercury, Metropolitan Life, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Pontiac, RCA, and Studebaker.Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
Extent:
24 Linear Feet
20,000 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.00814

Background

Scope and content:

The Roy Lightner Collection of Antique Advertisements spans the years 1871-2009 and includes primarily print advertisements clipped from U.S. magazines. Also present are proofs of print advertisements and 16mm reels of television commercials, much of which was produced by the N.W. Ayer & Son agency during Lightner's career there. Advertisements predominantly focus on automobiles, railroads, insurance companies and manufacturers of brand name consumer goods. Over 300 companies are represented in the collection, including AT&T, Buick, Cadillac, Campbell's, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Dodge, Du Pont, Kodak, Ford, General Electric, General Mills, General Motors, Lincoln-Mercury, Metropolitan Life, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Pontiac, RCA, and Studebaker.

Biographical / historical:
Roy Lightner Biographical Timeline
Date Event
1921
Born, Wyomissing, Pa.
1942
Graduated, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa.
1942-1946
Production Planner, Production Supervisor, N.W. Ayer Philadelphia
1947-1952
Account Supervisor, N.W. Ayer Boston
1956
Account Executive, N.W. Ayer Philadelphia
1963
Account Supervisor, N.W. Ayer Philadelphia
1970
Vice President and Account Manager, N.W. Ayer Philadelphia
1980
Retired from N.W. Ayer; assumed Directorship of United Methodist Church television ministry campaign
1982
Vice President, Marketing Services, Carden & Cherry Advertising, Nashville, Tenn.
1982-1988
Oversaw production of "Ernest P. Worrell--Vern" commercials starring Jim Varney

The following clients, represented in this collection, were served by Lightner during his tenure at N.W. Ayer: AT&T, Boeing, Breyer's, Cannon towels, Capehart, Carrier, Caterpillar, Chrysler, Clicquot Club, Container Corporation of America, DeBeers, Dole, Du Pont, Electric Companies, Forstman, French Line, General Electric, Goodyear, Hanes, Hess & Clark, Hires Root Beer, I.C.S., Insurance Companies of North America, Kellogg's, Maine Development Commission, Masonite, National Bible Week, National Dairy Products, New England Mutual, Nicholson File Co., N.W. Ayer, Oxirane, Penn Mutual, Plymouth, Red Heart Dog Food, Regal Shoes, Sani-Flush, Sealtest, Sergent's, Sheffield Farms, Steinway, Texaco, Times Mirror Magazine Network, TV Guide, U.S. Army Recruiting, Warren Telechron, and Yardley.

Acquisition information:
The Roy Lightner Collection of Antique Advertisements were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2002-2009.
Processing information:

Processed by Richard Collier, January 2011

Encoded by Richard Collier, January 2011

Accessions 2002-0299, 2003-0224, 2007-0208, 2009-0120 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged in 6 series: General Goods and Services; Cars and Trucks; Norman Rockwell Collection; N.W. Ayer Materials; Roy Lightner Files; and Oversize Materials. General Goods and Services include all print advertisements except car and truck advertisements, arranged alphabetically by product or company name. Cars and Trucks include print advertisements for automobiles, personal and commercial trucks and some corporate advertising from automotive companies, arranged alphabetically by vehicle make. The Norman Rockwell Collection consists of a set of advertisements, magazine covers and other illustrations featuring artwork by Norman Rockwell, arranged chronologically. The N.W. Ayer Materials consists primarily printed materials by or about the N.W. Ayer agency, along with some television commercials produced for Du Pont. Roy Lightner Files include handwritten inventories of advertisements included in this collection along with some clippings and memorabilia relating to Lightner's career. Oversize Materials include large-format materials removed from other series and housed separately, arranged to mirror the rest of the collection.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
Advertising agencies -- United States -- History
Advertising -- Insurance -- United States -- History
Advertising -- Insurance -- United States
Advertising -- Insurance
Advertising -- Brand name products -- United States -- History
Advertising -- Brand name products -- United States
Advertising -- Brand name products
Advertising -- Automobiles -- United States -- History
Advertising -- Automobiles -- United States
Advertising -- Automobiles
Advertising -- United States -- History
Advertising -- United States
Advertising
Advertising -- Railroads
Advertising -- Railroads -- United States
Advertising agencies
Advertising agencies -- United States
Format:
16mm
Proofs (printed matter)
Names:
Coca-Cola Company
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
Eastman Kodak Company
General Electric Company
General Mills, Inc
General Motors Corporation. Buick Motor Division
General Motors Corporation. Cadillac Motor Car Division
General Motors Corporation. Chevrolet Motor Division
General Motors Corporation
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Lincoln Motor Car Company (Detroit, Mich.)
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
N.W. Ayer & Son
Radio Corporation of America
Packard Motor Car Company
Studebaker-Packard Corporation
Ford Motor Company
American Telephone and Telegraph Company
Chrysler Corporation
Chrysler Corporation. Dodge Division
Campbell Soup Company
Cadillac Motor Car Company
Lightner, Roy, 1921-
Lightner, Roy, collector

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

In addition, original audiovisual materials are closed to patron use. Research Services staff need to produce use copies before contents can be accessed.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Roy Lightner Collection of Antique Advertisements, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University