The American Advertising Museum was a museum in downtown Portland,

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United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Founded in 1986, the museum displayed advertising from the 18th century to the present day. The museum featured both permanent and traveling exhibits on advertising campaigns, industry icons, and advertising in general. There was also a library and gift shop before it closed by the end of 2004.

History

Mick Scott with Leonard W. Lanfranco's assistance, opened the museum in 1986. Homer P. Groening, Matt Groening's father, was also one of the founding directors of the museum. It opened on June 26 of that year in the Erickson Saloon building and was initiated by the Portland Advertising Federation.Mershon, Helen. Portland boasts world's only museum devoted exclusively to advertising. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', September 13, 1988. At the time it was the only museum in the world devoted solely to advertising. For a time from 1995 to 1996 the museum was located on the city's Eastside.Nicholas, Jonathan. Anything Cleveland can do we certainly can do better. ''

'', December 17, 1995. In 1996, the museum moved to a location in Portland's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood.Turnquist, Kristi. She sells. ''

'', March 9, 1996. The

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

show '' Antiques Roadshow'' featured the museum in a 1999 episode. In 2000, the William F. Eisner Museum of Advertising & Design museum opened in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, and the AAM was no longer the only museum to focus exclusively on advertising.Hajewski, Doris. Eisner museum ready to cut loose. The ''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', February 6, 2004. The AAM relocated to Portland's Chinatown district in 2001.Doyle, Brian
Ads Infinitum: The collections snap, crackle, and pop at the American Advertising Museum.
''VIA'', May 2002. In 2003, the HMH ad agency won an ADDY award for their design for the museum's stationery. By February 2004 the Eisner Museum had acquired the American Advertising Museum collections as an exchange for paying its debts, and the AAM was closed. However, the Eisner Museum in turn closed in 2010, when the building it was located in was sold. , the disposition of the museum's collection and archives is unknown.

Features

The American Advertising Museum had a library, a rare books collection, manuscripts from national advertising campaigns, and a gallery of prints of historic ads. Their exhibits included displays on icons from the advertising world, "Aunt Jemima Meets Mr. Peanut", and displays from a permanent collection featuring advertising from as early as the 18th century.Family fun guide special events. ''

'', April 20, 2001. Additionally, it had one of the six original

Jantzen Jantzen is a brand of swimwear that was established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand name later replaced the name of the parent company that manufactured the branded products. The brand feature ...

Diving Girls once featured at places such as

Jantzen Beach Amusement Park Jantzen Beach Amusement Park was a popular amusement park from 1928 to 1970 in Portland, Oregon, on Hayden Island in the middle of the Columbia River. ''"The Coney Island of the West"'' opened on May 26, 1928 as the largest amusement park in the ...

and Portland's PGE Park. Last located on NW Fifth Avenue, the museum contained a gift shop featuring advertising themed merchandise. Exhibits included displays on

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

, political campaigning, Cream of Wheat ads, a homage to bad advertisements,Turnquist, Kristi. TV's worst ads provide commercial entertainment. ''

'', June 18, 1997. and women in advertisements among others.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Museums in Portland, Oregon Defunct museums in Oregon Museums established in 1986 Museums disestablished in 2004 1986 establishments in Oregon 2004 disestablishments in Oregon Advertising museums Advertising in the United States