The American Matchcover Archive


A digital repository dedicated to the conservation and celebration of the American matchbook cover — a pocket-sized canvas that once served as the primary advertising medium for 20th century commerce. 

We hope to honor this everyday, utilitarian item not merely as ephemera, but as a significant artifact of graphic design history. 

Explore the Archive





Elegant Emeralds

A collection of extravagant emerald-colored matchbooks advertising hospitality and decadence transcontinentally.
Hotel Wentworth
New York, New York
Stratford Hotel
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 
Hotel Wentworth
New York, New York
Pat O’Brien’s
New Orleans, Louisiana
Hotel Century
New York, New York
 
Great Northern Hotel
New York, New York
The Abrae Hotel
New York, New Yorkl

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