New Year’s, Newspaper!

Cover page banner illustration from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1921.

Happy new year from everyone working on the New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project! 2018 was a productive year for the NJDNP and we hope to publish many more exciting posts on our blog in 2019. In the spirit of the holiday, we would like to share a few New Year’s related snippets from our historic newspapers. You will find that Father Time and Baby New Year are reoccurring characters who enthusiastically welcome the upcoming 365 days.

Ad for Morris J. Gluck, Civil Engineer and Surveyor, from the Perth Amboy Evening News, January 3, 1910.
Full page advertisement for The Globe, a clothing store in Perth Amboy, on how to start the year off right. From the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 29th, 1914.
Advertisement for Louis Kreielsheimer, Jeweler, from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1917.
Advertisement for Louis Kreielsheimer, Jeweler, from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1919.
Advertisement for The Raritan Trust Company from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1919.
New Year’s Cartoon created by Dorman H. Smith. Published in the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1921

As can be seen in the advertisements above, many local businesses used the new year as an opportunity to thank their loyal patrons. More examples can be seen below.

Advertisement for J. Christ Jr. & Co from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1918.
Advertisement for Barnekov & Petz, a drug store in Perth Amboy, from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 30, 1919.
Advertisement for Castles Ice Cream from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 30, 1922.

What New Year’s celebration would be complete without a robust resolution? As is illustrated in the editorial cartoons below, making a new year’s resolution was just as culturally significant a century ago as it is today. However, one will find far fewer references to gym memberships in our historical newspapers.

Editorial cartoon from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 29, 1905.
Editorial cartoon from the Perth Amboy Evening News, January 2, 1906.
Editorial cartoon from the Perth Amboy Evening News, December 31, 1908.

Start 2019 on the right foot with the NJDNP and Chronicling America. If you find any interesting New Year’s related images, advertisements, or articles then feel free to share them with us in the comments below. And if you are still looking for a fulfilling resolution, subscribe to our mailing list for a year of stimulating news from the past!


(Contributed by Giovanna Ligato-Pugliese and Jacob Paul)

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