Take a virtual tour of the Museum of Public Relations, Dec. 9

See a treasure trove of historical artifacts that chronicle the evolution of the public relations industry when the Museum of Public Relations  and the Communicators Team of the National Press Club host the first-ever virtual tour of the museum on Dec. 9 at 12 p.m.

As a holiday gift to professional communicators and journalists, the Club and the museum are offering free admission to the online tour. However, advanced registration is required and available on the Club’s website.

The tour will include many items that highlight the industry’s past, including a souvenir from Light's Golden Jubilee celebrating the 50th anniversary of Thomas Edison's incandescent light bulb in 1929, the original press kit from 1948 for the release of Disney’s movie "Dumbo," a stereoscope from 1900 used to give viewers a 3D perspective on current events, travel destinations and even "bathing beauties of Coney Island."

The museum, which is located in New York, is the only institution in the world that is dedicated to the history of the public relations industry.  It was founded in 1997 with a donation of papers and other materials from the estate of Edward Bernays, the “father of public relations,” who was a friend of the museum’s founders and curators, Shelly and Barry Spector.

Today, the museum displays exhibits of work by Bernays and other industry trailblazers, including Joseph Varney Baker, who started the nation’s first Black-owned public relations agency, and Ivy Lee, the inventor of the press release.

The museum also maintains a reference and research library, hosts educational events and webinars, and issues publications, making it the largest resource of information about the public relations industry and it social value.