The first proper billboards were invented in the 1830s by Jared Bell in America. He wanted to advertise a circus and put up a large and colorful billboard in 1835. P.T. Barnum saw the benefits of this advertising medium, and also followed suit. At this time, they were usually large posters, displaying colorful pictures, and emphasizing features and promotions for upcoming shows.
The 1860s saw various changes in billboard advertising. Businesses could purchase outdoor space, and soon enough, advertisers began setting up different billboards and experimenting with their own forms and creatives. The earliest recorded leazings of billboards occurred in 1867.
The Twentieth Century saw the establishment of a standardized billboard structure generate a boom in national billboard campaigns. By 1912, most cities and urban areas had outdoor advertising.
Here below is a set of amazing photos that shows Burkhart billboards in Indiana in the 1980s.
Wendy’s New Taco Salad Billboard, somewhere in Indiana, 1982
Col. John Anderson’s Furniture Gallery, Lafayette, Indiana, circa 1985
First National Bank, Kokomo, Indiana, December 1985
Howard Johnson Billboard, somewhere in Indiana, circa 1985
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