The Geographical Aspects of Historical Newspaper Advertising

Abstract

Newspapers were and are source of information. As permanent communicative tools, they bear mute witness to the occurrences of past and present. On their page are printed important events, great plans, and inconsequential happenings. And yet, newspapers are much more than mere disseminators of news, for they also offer commercial information, and as such, supply their readers with a veritable directory of neighboring merchants. Through its advertisements, the newspaper makes available at a glance, the location and price of the various goods and services of which the newspaper reader may have need. This is true of present day newspapers, and it is true of past newspapers. These advertisements may expound the advantages of a shop in the town in which the newspaper is based, or it may give the newspaper reader information about a commercial establishment outside of that town. These advertisements offer information about not only the merchant's store, but also about the merchant. That he sent an advertisement to any newspaper, says something about him; but that he sent it to that particular newspaper, says even more. This study aspires to define that "even more". In trying to define that phrase, the author hopes to introduce newspaper advertisements as a source of data for historical geographers. As such, this study is a continuation of several previous investigations carried out on historical newspaper advertisements by other researchers, and a paper presented by the present author. There are various types of studies which can be done using this data as a primary source. Some of these studies will be investigated in great detail in this paper; others will be merely mentioned. It is hoped that through this paper, the validity of this data source will be established, and the various problems or pitfalls will be defined.