The collection is entirely concerned with Dorothy Dignam's professional career. Not long after donating her advertising papers to the Wisconsin Historical Society, Dignam established a second collection at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College. The finding aid for the Schlesinger collection suggests that collection includes professional writings and information on her involvement with the Advertising Women of New York as well as her personal papers.
The Dignam papers at Wisconsin form two series: ADVERTISING and SUBJECT FILES.
The bulk of the ADVERTISING series consists of samples of advertising for magazines and newspapers, proofs, client presentation booklets, and notes. It is thought that the samples represent campaigns for which Dignam was responsible, at least in part, but may also include examples about which she only wished to comment. This is certainly the case for the early Ayer advertising for women's products which were designed by men. It is probably also the case for her scrapbook of early corset advertising which contains ads for several manufacturers.
Although there are no office files and little documentation concerning the development of particular advertising campaigns, several files include internal office memoranda, occasional letters, and explanatory notes prepared by Dignam at the time of donation that shed light on campaign development. The advertising primarily dates from Dignam's career in Chicago and Philadelphia. Because of this, the majority of the represented clients were regional rather than national. Important exceptions are the Ford Motor Company, for which she created special material for women during the late 1930s; Marshall Field & Company, for which she focused on the store's textile line; and the Cannon Mills Company, a manufacturer of sheets, towels, and hosiery. The majority of the ads concern products such as cosmetics, clothing, textiles, and household appliances for which women were the target consumer. One of the most unusual of her early clients was Commonwealth Edison for which she wrote copy to advertise appliances sold in the company's store. It was this experience with household appliances that led to her 1927 trip to Europe to survey the prospects there for increased use of appliances. Reports concerning her European observations, particularly in Germany and Sweden, are included in the SUBJECT FILES. The series also includes magazines published by McJunken, Dignam's employer, aimed at electric and gas utilities.
The alphabetically-arranged SUBJECT FILES contain material related to professional organizations, speeches and writings, and biographical information. The biographical information is a scrapbook that dates primarily from 1917 to 1927. In addition to biographical clippings, the scrapbook contains publicity she prepared for the Chicago Boys Club and samples of her writing for the Chicago Herald. The files on the Advertising Women of New York, which Dignam joined about 1939, the year she moved to New York City, include correspondence and public service ads she created as head of the AWNY World War II Defense Committee, and reports prepared as an instructor for the club's survey of advertising classes, 1947-1955. There is also background for these talks about the prospects for women's employment in advertising. One of her lectures, along with the lectures of other members of the club, appeared in How to be a Successful Advertising Woman. A copy of this book is included in the papers. Files related to the Philadelphia Club of Advertising Women document its early consumer clinics and radio programs it sponsored about prominent women. In addition, there is publicity for the book, Advertising Career for Women, edited by Dignam and Blanche Claire that included talks by members of the club on professional development. This book is not part of the collection, however. Also here are printed articles that appeared with Dignam's byline.
The visual materials included in the Advertising and Subject Files series consist of portraits of Dignam, photographs used to illustrate public service advertising produced by the AWNY World War II Defense Committee, and Ford Company photographs featuring early model Ford automobiles with costumed models as passengers, some juxtaposed with 1939 Fords.
