This timeline built with the web application "La ligne du temps" aims to periodize the lifetime of advertising boards owned by a specific company (Oriental Advertising Agency), during a limited period of time (May 1-December 31 1914) and a strictly bounded areas of the city (the Central District in the International Settlement, essentially on Honan Road). This case study is based on the regular inventories of boards sent by the Oriental Advertising Agency to the Council, between May 1 and December 31, 1914. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-14-3251 (1139-1151), U1-14-3267 (1047-1049).

This timeline allows to compare the duration of contracts between the agency and its clients, and to observe the turnover. For this periodization essay, we have strived to make a relevant use of the various functionalities offered by the tool "La Ligne du temps":

• The location of boards (street name) are indicated by colored thematic bands;
• The date and duration of contracts or boards lifetimes are located and measured by events of variable duration;
• Advertisers occupying the same location or board are connected by their board number, using the functionality that allows to link various events;
• The various type of products and business sectors are materialized by specific pictograms, refering to distinct categories of events.