Advertising St. Louis
Student Directions
(page 1)

You will visit St. Louis in the 1850s. Using the Virtual City St. Louis model, you will visit the Mercantile Exchange to view advertisements for businesses of the time. You will examine these ads, compare different ads, and create an ad for another business of the time.

Visit the Mercantile Exchange in the 1850s model of Virtual St. Louis.

Find the collection of business advertisements.

Choose one ad and answer the following questions:

  1. How is the ad set up?





  2. What is shown in the picture on your ad?





  3. List the important information given in your ad.





  4. Why would this information have been included?





  5. Who is the audience for this ad?





  6. What does the ad tell you about St. Louis in the 1850s?




Work with a partner.
Compare your ads and the answers to the questions.
Make a graphic organizer showing similarities and differences between the two ads. What details are specific to each ad? What information is common to both?