Module

Examples of advertising and media drawn from the National Library of Australia’s exhibition The Sell: Australian Advertising 1790s to 1990s and looks at their influence over time.

Topic

Advertising campaigns for iconic Australian brands and early ads.

Topic

British tea culture, imported with the arrival of the British in Australia in 1788, has been adapted by Australians into something distinct from its roots. One of the key early differences is the use of the ‘billy’, a lightweight metal can used most commonly for boiling water or cooking over a campfire.

Topic

The postwar era saw advertising reflect notions of the ideal Australian home, of masculinity and feminine beauty and of health.

Topic

Poster artists working for The Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) had to decide which pictorial styles would best convey Australia’s attractions.

Topic

The advent of the Internet has transformed the way advertising and consumers interact with each other. Because of the personal information we share either voluntarily or involuntarily online, advertising can now be targeted to a degree that would have boggled the minds of early advertisers.