The newest acquisition, the Woodward Collection of Advertising, is also the World's largest with approximately 4 million ads. It was donated in
1989 by Garry Woodward, a Chicago businessman. It is similar to the D'Arcy collection but
much more comprehensive. It is contained in approximately 1,000 filing cabinet drawers and
boxes. The collection includes ads from the late 1800's through the 1980's.
The collection was started by Reginald Vance Coghlan, a creative director for the
Ruthrauff and Ryan advertising agency. He was a friend of John Breck who offered him
several thousand magazines in which the Breck Girl Shampoo advertising appeared.
Coghlan separated all the magazines, compiled, and collated the advertisements and
began a service organization offering historical copies of ads, usually covering a whole
product category or multiyear history of a brand. Coghlan subsequently subscribed to
various national magazines and newspapers and clipped ads for approximately forty years.
Details on how the collection was maintained for the next 60 years are unavailable.
Below are a few of the ads to be found in the Woodward Collection.