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Fashion and Advertising: A Vintage Catalogue

In 2016, philanthropist, author and avid art collector, Mr. Frederic Sharf, and his wife, Jean, donated an assortment of vintage print advertising. This resource is used as a connected learning tool for students in the honors program and in the general curriculum.  Also available, to the wider public for educational and inspirational purposes, this variety provides unique insights into material culture from a historic perspective.  Please explore this collection as a window into American lifestyle through print advertising from the 1920s through the 1960s.

1920s

Fashion and Advertising: 1920s

1930s

Fashion and Advertising: 1930s

1940s/1950s/1960s

Fashion and Advertising: 1940s/1950s/1960s

During the 2016-2017 academic year, Alexandra Faszewski ('17), Fashion Design and Production, studied this assortment of vintage print advertising from the Lasell Fashion Collection. As a three-credit directed studies honors component, Alexandra devoted two semesters of research into establishing a time frame and symbolic messaging for each illustrative example. Upon her graduation, collection interns Taylor Camillo ('19), Fashion Communication and Promotion, and Lillian Baker ('19), Fashion and Retail Merchandising, completed this scholarly endeavor, which is available in the Online Catalogue.