125 years of car advertising

From 17 February to 15 April 2012, the Louwman Museum presented the exhibition 125 years of car advertising. As the first major survey exhibition on car advertising in the Netherlands, it showed how car manufacturers and advertisers have shaped our image of the car for more than a century.

Using advertisements, posters, commercials and other promotional material, visitors were taken through various themes, including Style and Status, Big is Beautiful, Small but Fine and The Woman and the Car. The exhibition showed how car advertising not only sold cars, but also responded to social developments, changing ideals and personal ambitions.

In addition to well-known Dutch campaigns, there were also international advertisements on display from brands such as Cadillac, Pierce-Arrow and Volkswagen. For many visitors, the exhibition was a celebration of recognition, while at the same time they were introduced to remarkable advertisements from different countries and eras.

125 years of car advertising offered a unique overview of the ways in which the car has been presented for more than a century as a means of transport, a status symbol, and a source of personal freedom.