The Early Advertising of the West collection consists of over 450 print advertisements published in local magazines, city directories, and theater pamphlets from 1867 to 1918. These advertisements were selected and digitized in order to help researchers and students examine social, cultural and economic trends during this period. The collection is categorized into thematic groups and features advertisements about health care and hygiene products, liquor, tobacco, machinery, manufacturing, transportation, fashion, food and household goods and local tourism.

The information for the Early Advertising of the West collection was researched and prepared by the UW Libraries Special Collections Division in 2008. The advertisements in this database were selected from materials from various book and theater program collections held at the UW Libraries Special Collections Division.