Advertising Sales Trade Cards

Historical Context

The great Paris department store. The back invites visitors to see the store as "one of the most remarkable curiosities of Paris," with "interpreters in every language," and names its founder, Aristide Boucicaut.

Paris 1900. At the Exposition Universelle of 1900 the store was "Hors Concours — Membre du Jury": too distinguished to compete, it sat on the jury instead.

A fable for children. The front illustrates La Fontaine's fable of the hen that laid golden eggs, from a numbered series.

Condition

Front: very good, bright color with a slick finish. Back: light foxing, crisp green printing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The front has a slick, glossy finish, and the back is printed in a single green ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Background

Gail Borden Jr. patented his process for making condensed milk in 1856, revolutionizing the dairy industry and providing a shelf-stable milk product for consumers. The Eagle Brand Condensed Milk, established by Borden, quickly became a household name, particularly valued for its convenience and safety compared to fresh milk, which was often prone to spoilage. The company's marketing often featured idyllic scenes of healthy children and families, associating their product with purity and well-being.

This particular advertisement, likely a trade card or a similar piece of ephemera, showcases the popular Victorian aesthetic with its detailed lithography and sentimental imagery. Such cards were widely distributed to promote products and were often collected by households. The depiction of a child and a kitten alongside the milk can was a common marketing strategy to evoke feelings of domesticity, care, and nourishment, appealing to mothers and families.

More Background & Description

Gail Borden Jr. patented his process for making condensed milk in 1856, revolutionizing food preservation and infant nutrition. His "Eagle Brand" became a household name, offering a shelf-stable milk product that was particularly vital in times when fresh milk was scarce or unsafe. The New York Condensed Milk Company, founded by Borden, was instrumental in popularizing this innovation across the United States.

This advertisement trade card, dates from the late 19th century, as indicated by the "COPYRIGHT 1887" mark. Such cards were common promotional items, distributed to consumers to build brand recognition and provide product information. The imagery of the eagle, a symbol of American strength and freedom, was strategically used to associate these qualities with the Eagle Brand, while the detailed instructions highlight its versatility and importance as a food source, especially for infants.

Ref: 1.0516

• Please reivew pictures carefully as they are part of the item description and condition.
• Dimensions: H: 5.5" x W: 3.5"
• Composition: Heavy cardstock with color printing.
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Historical Context

A neighborhood shoe store. Rosenberg sold wholesale and retail from a double storefront on South Fourth Street and took in custom work and repairs.

A girl and her pug. Dog collectors prize pug cards, and this is one of the largest cards in the group.

Condition

Front: excellent, bright color, light edge wear. Back: blank and toned. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The Rosenberg imprint is printed in black, and the back is blank.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Jacob Rosenberg cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=rosenberg

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Description

This trade card served as an advertisement for fashion patterns, using a sentimental image of a fairy child and the phrase "He Loves Me A Little" to evoke a sense of romance and domesticity. Such ephemera provides a fascinating glimpse into the popular culture, artistic styles, and marketing strategies of the Victorian period, making them sought after by collectors of antique paper goods and advertising.

Company Background

Maison Demorest was a prominent fashion and pattern company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded by Ellen Louise Demorest. They were known for their "Reliable Patterns," which were widely distributed and advertised through various means, including trade cards like this one. These cards often featured charming illustrations to attract customers and promote their sewing patterns, which were essential for home dressmaking during the Victorian era. Mme. Demorest's Reliable Patterns were a popular brand of sewing patterns during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded by Jane Conklin. These patterns enabled home sewers to create fashionable garments, and their availability in dry goods stores made them accessible to a broad audience. The agency for these patterns signifies A. Block's role in providing not just materials but also the means for creating finished goods, reflecting a common business model of the era.

Histrorical Context

Dry goods stores were a staple of commerce in the 19th and early 20th centuries, offering a wide array of textiles, clothing, and household items. These establishments served as crucial community hubs, providing essential goods and often acting as agents for popular pattern companies, like Mme. Demorest's, which allowed individuals to create fashionable clothing at home. The variety of items listed on this card indicates a comprehensive general store catering to the needs of its local clientele.

Ref: 1.0522

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Historical Context

A Des Moines sweet shop. Fidler & Gould had a stock picture card imprinted with their name, a common way for a local confectioner to advertise.

Sending a message. The boy with his dove and letter is a charming subject for collectors of birds, children and Iowa history.

Condition

Front: very good to excellent, bright color, light edge wear. Blank back with foxing spots. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The confectioner's imprint is printed in black, and the back is blank.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A Detroit stove giant. The Michigan Stove Company sold its Garland stoves and ranges across the country, and the back calls the firm the largest maker of stoves and ranges in the world.

Heat for the parlor. The Oak-Michigan is a classic Victorian oak stove, with nickel trim and an ornate finial, built to burn coal, coke or wood.

Condition

Front: light toning, clean image. Back: clean and bright, crisp stove engraving. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Patent medicine on parade. One remedy to purify the blood, clear the complexion, cure constipation and headache, and serve as the "Best Medicine for Babies and Children": claims like these ran freely before the federal Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Garfield Tea and Garfield Tea Syrup were made by the Garfield Tea Company of Brooklyn, New York, and examples of the products are held in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Pigs in their Sunday best. Dressed animals were among the most popular trade card subjects, and this courting couple, parasol and cane in hand, is a fine example for collectors of pigs and comic animals.

Condition

Very good for its age. Front: bright color; a faint vertical crease line near the right edge in the lower half; the card was cut close at the right, so the end of the heading runs off the edge; light toning; corners sharp to lightly worn. Back: light toning; a small grey smudge by "Cures"; a small dark fleck in "Garfield" in the lower text; a faint round dent in the left margin near the top; partial printing from the neighboring card along the left edge. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black type, separate from the color work on the front.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for patent medicines, coffee and baking soda are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Business trade cards like these were a popular form of advertising in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often featuring colorful illustrations and company information. They were distributed as promotional items, similar to modern flyers or business cards, and were collected by many people, especially children. These cards provide valuable insights into the commercial practices and artistic styles of the era.

Ref: 1.0530

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Historical Context

Glazed coffee. Chicago roaster W. F. McLaughlin & Co. sold its XXXX brand roasted in the whole bean and coated with a glaze, and the back of this card makes the case in the company's own words. The firm names its own houses in Rio de Janeiro and Santos, Brazil, the coffee ports.

Collect the set. McLaughlin's issued its picture cards in numbered series, packed one to a package, and families saved them in albums.

Condition

Front: excellent, bright color. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More McLaughlin's cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=mclaughlin

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Glazed coffee. Chicago roaster W. F. McLaughlin & Co. sold its XXXX brand roasted in the whole bean and coated with a glaze, and the back of this card makes the case in the company's own words. The firm names its own houses in Rio de Janeiro and Santos, Brazil, the coffee ports.

Collect the set. McLaughlin's issued its picture cards in numbered series, packed one to a package, and families saved them in albums.

Condition

Front: excellent, bright color. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More McLaughlin's cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=mclaughlin

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Victorian promotional trade cards were a popular form of advertising in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often featuring colorful illustrations of children, animals, or sentimental scenes. These cards were distributed by businesses to showcase their products and services, serving as both an advertisement and a collectible item. They were frequently given away with purchases, encouraging brand loyalty and providing a tangible reminder of the company.

Ref: 1.0526

• Please visit our store as we are constantly adding more items of all types. Thank you!

Historical Context

Glazed coffee. Chicago roaster W. F. McLaughlin & Co. sold its XXXX brand roasted in the whole bean and coated with a glaze, and the back of this card makes the case in the company's own words. The firm names its own houses in Rio de Janeiro and Santos, Brazil, the coffee ports.

Collect the set. McLaughlin's issued its picture cards in numbered series, packed one to a package, and families saved them in albums.

Condition

Front: excellent, bright color. Back: toned, with a spot. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More McLaughlin's cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=mclaughlin

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: excellent, bright color. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single brown ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Comapny Background

E.W. Hoyt & Co. was a pharmaceutical company based in Lowell, Massachusetts, known for products like Hoyt's German Cologne and Rubifoam. This advertising trade card highlights their dual marketing strategy, promoting both a personal fragrance and a dental product. The inclusion of pricing and dealer information aimed to facilitate direct sales and distribution. E.W. Hoyt & Co. was a prominent manufacturer of toiletries and perfumes. The company was well known for its "Hoyt's German Cologne," a popular fragrance, and "Rubifoam," a dental product. Their advertising often emphasized the quality and purity of their goods, aiming to establish brand loyalty and combat counterfeit products. This advertising card, likely distributed in the late 19th or early 20th century, served as a promotional tool. By perfuming the card itself, the company offered a tangible sensory experience of their cologne, making the advertisement more memorable and persuasive. Such items are now collected as examples of historical ephemera and early advertising practices.

Historical Context

Victorian business trade cards were a popular form of advertising in the late 19th century, often featuring colorful illustrations and product information. Companies used these cards to promote their goods, with many being perfumed or embossed to attract consumers. They served as early forms of collectible ephemera, with designs ranging from sentimental scenes to product endorsements.

Ref: 1.0531

• Please visit our store as we are constantly adding more items of all types. Thank you!

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: excellent, bright color. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single brown ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Description

An antique Liebig trade card from the French-language series "Instruments de musique nationaux" (National Musical Instruments). This card, "TYROL – Cithare", shows a young Tyrolean man in a feathered green hat, red waistcoat and lederhosen playing a zither on his knees in front of an Alpine chalet. A smiling young woman in a wide-brimmed hat and apron stands behind him, and an older man sits listening on a stack of logs. Snow-capped mountains rise in the background. A jar of Liebig meat extract stands at lower left, and the bottom banner reads "VÉRITABLE EXTRAIT DE VIANDE LIEBIG" (Genuine Liebig Meat Extract). "Voir au verso" (see reverse) is printed at lower right.

The back, printed in French, carries the Compagnie Liebig advertisement, with a vignette of a young artist painting a jar of Liebig extract at his easel and a large blue facsimile of the "J. v. Liebig" signature. In translation: "Liebig Company. Works at Fray-Bentos and branches (South America). Hors concours [beyond competition] since 1885. No foreign matter is added to genuine Liebig meat extract. It is an absolutely pure meat juice. Sold by grocers and provision merchants. Insist on the Liebig signature in blue ink on the label and the paper wrapping the jars." A second panel advertises Liebig meat peptone, "because of its extreme digestibility and high nutritional value", as the fortifying food for "the weak, the anaemic, invalids and especially those who suffer from the stomach", sold in the principal pharmacies. The bottom line reads "Importé par la Compagnie Liebig, Paris" (Imported by the Liebig Company, Paris).

Historical Context

Liebig's Extract of Meat Company was founded in London on December 4, 1865, by the German chemist Justus von Liebig and the engineer George Christian Giebert. Its factory at Fray Bentos, Uruguay, was turning out 500 tonnes of meat extract a year by 1875; the company later gave its name to Fray Bentos corned beef and launched Oxo cubes in 1911. From 1872 Liebig packed collectible card sets with its product, usually six cards to a theme (stories, history, geography), printed in many languages for markets across Europe. The blue signature on the back was the company's guarantee of the genuine product, and the card itself tells buyers to look for it.

Tyrol is the historic Alpine region of the Habsburg lands, a crown land from the 12th century until 1919, when it was divided between Austria (today's State of Tyrol) and Italy (South Tyrol and Trentino). This card was printed for French buyers, about a people and an instrument of the Austrian Alps, by a company founded in London by a German chemist with its factory in South America: an early piece of truly international advertising.

More Victorian trade cards, antique postcards and US silver dollars are in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl

Condition

Good antique condition. Bright colors on the front with light wear to the corners and edges. Back clean and legible with light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

Liebig cards of this era were printed by chromolithography, with each color laid down from its own stone. The rich, layered color on the front is typical of the process.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

----- Not For Pasting -----

Item Specifics

- Brand: Liebig

- Country of Origin: set to France by Joseph, 2026-10-03. eBay has no "Unknown" option, and the field feeds international export paperwork. The card was imported and distributed by the Paris office; the actual printer is unknown.

- Language: French

- Original/Reprint: Original

Notes

- Set name and card read from the front; back translated by Claude (UNSUPPORTED; Joseph can check the French).

- Year: the live title says 1900. The back proves only "after 1885" (hors concours depuis 1885). Not dated, so the new title leaves the year out.

- Printing: chromolithography is assumed from the age and look (Joseph: "very safe bet"). No dot check was done (no original scan).

- Sanguinetti catalog number and year: not confirmed. A search turned up "S 0561 National Musical Instruments", but the match isn't confirmed.

- Condition: written from the screenshots only. Adjust if needed.

SOURCES (retrieved 2026-10-03)

- Liebig company facts and trade cards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebig%27s_Extract_of_Meat_Company (SOURCED)

- Tyrol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrol_(region) (SOURCED)

Revision Log

r01 2026-10-03 Created from Joseph's front and back screenshots.

r02 2026-10-03 New title (79 characters), chosen by Joseph.

Historical Context

Patent medicine on parade. Instant relief for aches, pains, neuralgia and rheumatism: claims like these ran freely before the federal Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

Medicine and flavoring extracts. Many small-town druggists made both, sold side by side with spices and candy.

Condition

Front: very good, bright color. Back: toned with staining; text legible. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A short-lived brand. The Alden Fruit Vinegar company was founded in St. Louis in 1878 and was gone by 1907 (Library Company of Philadelphia).

A Kansas railroad town. Waverly, Kansas, was platted in 1878 on the Ottawa and Burlington Railroad (Cutler, History of the State of Kansas).

Condition

Front: very good, bright color. Back: stains; text legible. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The Congress shoe was an ankle boot with elastic panels in the sides — the gores — so it pulled on without laces. The weak point was always the elastic, which stretched and failed long before the leather wore out. This company made the elastic, and the card is a guarantee on that one part: eighteen months, or they would put in new gores free.

It is an early example of a component maker selling directly to the public over the head of the manufacturer. Ask for the shoe with our elastic in it, and keep this card as your proof.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Faint pencil marks at the upper right of the reverse; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The winter scene on the front is clean and the certificate text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

That last line dates the card exactly. The Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building was the largest structure at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and this company had a stand in the north-west portion of it, Section H. The card was printed to be handed out there.

Which makes the picture a self-portrait of the moment. Uncle Sam distributing kalsomine to the nations on the steps of the White City is not subtle, but it is exactly how Chicago felt about itself that summer — and the fez in the crowd is there because the world really had turned up.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; light soiling to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright with strong color and the reverse text is fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: very good, clean color. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single brown ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A free picture with every package. The back says it plainly: the card was the premium, given away to bring the customer back.

Flowers for the album. Botanical cards like this were favorites for scrapbooks and still appeal to flower collectors.

Condition

Front: light toning, bright flowers. Back: toned. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Description

This advertising trade card, with its depiction of a young girl holding a letter and a basket of flowers, likely served as a greeting card or a promotional item for a company that dealt with correspondence or floral arrangements. The style of the girl's dress, with its puffed sleeves and ruffled hem, along with her hairstyle, places it firmly within the late Victorian or Edwardian period. Such cards are sought after by collectors for their artistic merit, historical significance, and nostalgic appeal.

More Historical Context about Lion Coffee

Lion Coffee was a popular brand in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for its distinctive advertising campaigns that often included collectible trade cards. These cards were a common marketing strategy to encourage repeat purchases and build brand loyalty among consumers. The brand's advertising often highlighted the quality and purity of their coffee, differentiating it from competitors. This particular advertisement promotes the idea that Lion Coffee is not glazed, implying a superior, pure flavor compared to other brands that might use a "cheap coating." The mention of a "Picture Card" being included in each package further emphasizes the collectible nature of the brand's promotional materials during the Victorian era. These cards are now sought after by collectors of ephemera and advertising history.

• Time Period: Circa 1890-1910
• Origin: United States
• Composition: Cardstock with color printing
• Dimensions: H: 4" x W: 2.5" (approximate)
• Please reivew pictures carefully as they are part of the item description and condition.

Historical Context

Trade cards were a popular form of advertising and collectible ephemera during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Often featuring colorful illustrations, they were distributed by manufacturers and retailers to promote their products or simply as a form of goodwill. These cards depicted a wide range of subjects, from sentimental scenes and children to patriotic motifs and product advertisements, making them a valuable window into the social and cultural history of the era. Many were beautifully printed using chromolithography, a technique that allowed for vibrant and detailed color reproduction.

Ref: 1.0523

• Please visit our store as we are constantly adding more items of all types. Thank you!

Historical Context

A reward for Sunday school. Cards like this were given to children for learning a verse or for attendance, and many were saved in Bibles and albums.

A St. Louis religious publisher. The stamp names the John Burns Book Co. of St. Louis as the seller.

Condition

Front: very good, embossed, bright color. Back: embossed, light toning, faint stamp. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The card is embossed, and the back carries a rubber stamp.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

A Christmas card in the coffee. Woolson issued large seasonal greeting cards for Christmas, Easter and midsummer.

Condition

Front: very good, bright color; slightly out of square as trimmed. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Description

This beautiful card, with its depiction of a woman writing and the accompanying message, exemplifies the romantic sentimentality often found in Victorian ephemera. The detailed illustration, likely produced through chromolithography, showcases the artistic techniques and popular motifs of the era. Such items are now collected by enthusiasts of antique paper, social history, and Victorian art and are often framed for display.

• Time Period: Circa 1890-1910 (Victorian Era)
• Origin: Akron, Ohio, United States
• Composition: Cardstock with color printing
• Dimensions: H: 4.25" x W: 2.25" (approximately)
• Please reivew pictures carefully as they are part of the item description and condition.

Company History

E. M. Mabley & Co., operating as "The Mammoth Clothing House," was a retail establishment that specialized in men's and boys' apparel, including clothing, hats, caps, and furnishings. Such large clothing houses were common in urban centers during this period, catering to a growing demand for ready- made garments and offering a wide selection of goods. The address in Akron, Ohio, places this specific business within a significant industrial and commercial hub of the time.

-Historical Context

Victorian-era calling cards and illustrated stationery were popular forms of communication and social expression during the late 19th century. These cards often featured romantic or sentimental imagery, reflecting the prevailing aesthetic and social customs of the time. They served as a means of conveying invitations, greetings, or personal messages, adding a touch of elegance to everyday correspondence. Trade cards were a popular form of advertising in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving as precursors to modern business cards and flyers. They were often printed on cardstock and distributed by businesses to promote their goods and services, frequently featuring decorative elements and detailed information about the establishment. These cards provide valuable insights into the commercial practices and consumer culture of the era.

Ref: 1.0524

• Please visit our store as we are constantly adding more items of all types. Thank you!

Background

Advertising trade cards like this one were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a form of marketing. They often featured colorful illustrations and catchy slogans to promote various products, from household goods to patent medicines. These cards served as a way for businesses to reach consumers directly, often distributed by merchants or included with product purchases.

Note: No image on back.

Ref: 1.0515

• Please reivew pictures carefully as they are part of the item description and condition.
• Dimensions: H: 5.5" x W: 3.5"
• Composition: Heavy embossed cardstock with color printing and handwriting.
• Please visit our store as we are constantly adding more items of all types. Thank you!

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Easter in the coffee can. The large Easter Greetings cards were packed only in the one-pound packages, a reward for the bigger purchase.

Condition

Front: very good, clean color, light edge wear. Back: overall toning with blotchy stains at the center and lower right. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single brown ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Snuff advertised with apple blossom is a very Victorian combination. Tobacco cards of the period were often at their most delicate, because the advertiser wanted the card kept in a parlor album where a picture of the product itself would never have been welcome.

Helme's Railroad Mills was one of the best-known American snuff brands of its day, and the name alone was the whole message. A card like this needed only to remind.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. The blank reverse is toned, with a few faint pencil marks and a small brown fleck at the upper left; minor edge and corner wear. The front is clean and bright. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Printed by Knapp. Knapp & Co. of New York was one of the great color printers of the period.

Condition

Front: very good, bright color. The top left corner has a small chip with tan board showing and a short crack running in from it. Back: toned. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single brown ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: good color and gold; card slightly out of square with softly rounded corners. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The gold band is printed in metallic ink, and the back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A nickel a box, and the card cost the maker a good deal more to produce than the profit on the first sale. That arithmetic only works if the card stays in the house, and this one was built to — embossed, gilded, and prettier than most things a family owned.

The daisies and the child have nothing to do with a sore throat. They were not supposed to. The card's job was to be kept, and a picture worth keeping put the name in front of you every time you opened the album.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. The embossing and gilding remain crisp with light rubbing to the high points; minor edge and corner wear; light surface soiling. Colors remain strong. Blank reverse with toning. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A milliner sold hats and the trimmings that went on them — ribbons, flowers, feathers, lace — and fancy goods covered the rest of what a well-dressed woman might want from a small shop. The satin cushion and the rose are the shop's own stock, shown at their most luxurious.

This is a single-shop card from one street address. A national brand might print millions; a card like this was printed for one milliner on Hamilton Street and handed out to her customers.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. The right edge is rough, with paper loss and small tears; a large brown stain on the blank reverse; minor corner wear. The rose and cushion on the front remain bright and the imprint fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

“One Price” was the selling point, and to a modern reader it looks like no selling point at all. In the 1880s it was the whole pitch. Haggling was still normal in dry goods, which meant the price you paid depended on how hard you argued and how the clerk read you. A one-price house was promising you would not be taken advantage of for being polite.

The picture makes the same argument without saying it. Two children, plainly dressed up warm, out on the ice. Buy the coats here and this is what your winter looks like.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; small nicks to the edges. Colors remain strong. Blank reverse with light toning. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph. Each color was drawn onto its own separate stone by hand and printed as its own pass through the press, every pass registering exactly against the last. This card uses the flat-color mode of the process — broad areas of solid, opaque ink with crisp boundaries rather than blended tone. It is the same technique that produced the great poster designs of the period.

Under magnification the colors resolve as solid fields with clean edges and no dot structure at all. There is no halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; here each color is its own ink, laid down whole.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A Burlington clothier. W. L. Linder sold men's, boys' and children's clothing on Jefferson Street in Burlington, Iowa, and promised to undersell everybody.

Die-cut novelties. Shaped cards cost more to make than plain rectangles and were saved as keepsakes.

Condition

Die-cut, irregular outline, cut closely around the fan. Front: a crease across the left side of the fan and small surface losses. Back: light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The card is die-cut with a scalloped edge, and the back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Victorian trade cards were a popular form of advertising in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often featuring colorful illustrations of nature, children, or idealized scenes to attract attention. These cards served as a way for businesses to promote their products and services, often distributed with purchases or mailed directly to customers. They are now collected and often framed for their artistic merit and as historical artifacts of consumer culture.

Ref: 1.0525

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Historical Context

The card is not really selling clothes. It is selling a reason to walk into the shop: the full series is on the wall, and you will have to come in to see the rest. A numbered card that admits it is only a sample of something better elsewhere is an unusually honest piece of advertising, and a clever one.

The scene itself needed no explaining to anyone who kept pigs, which in Stillwater in the 1880s was most people.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A crease to the upper left corner; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The printed image remains clear and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This card was printed from a single stone in one ink, on tinted stock — an economical choice, since the colored card supplies a second tone at no extra press pass. The design was drawn by hand in reverse on the stone, the shading built from the density of the drawn marks rather than from color.

Under magnification the tone resolves into drawn line and hatching, not a mechanical screen. There is no halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A card that speaks for the customer. Instead of the maker praising itself, the back is written in the buyer's voice: "The Best Yeast I ever used."

Yeast cakes for home baking. Dry yeast cakes, sold several to a package, were a pantry staple when most bread was baked at home.

Condition

Front: very good, bright gilt and color, light edge wear. Back: surface scuffs and small areas of paper loss from old album removal, light staining at right, embossing intact. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is embossed and printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

This is a printer advertising himself. Stock cards like this one were designed and printed in quantity by publishers such as Haddock in Philadelphia, then sold on with the space left open for a local business to add its name. A job printer was the one customer who could put his own imprint on the card and hand it out as a sample of what he could do for yours.

The design belongs to a genre the period loved: children dressed as the nations, each carrying the symbols of the country. The bundle of rods with an axe is the fasces, the old Roman emblem of authority that the French Republic had taken up as its own.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Four round patches of album-mount residue at the corners of the reverse, with faint show-through; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The metallic ground and the chromolithographed figure on the front remain bright. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A Newark original. The back is signed by G. Mennen of 577 Broad Street, Newark, the start of a name still on the toiletries shelf.

Powder for the nursery. "Love the Babies!" speaks straight to mothers, the buyers trade cards were made for.

Condition

Front: faded, top lettering faint, show-through from the back. Back: clean, crisp text. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Patent medicine on parade. Four cures on one card: a salve for everything from burns to piles, a blackberry cordial for teething babies, a pepsin tonic for the liver, and a sarsaparilla sold as the world's best blood purifier. Bold promises like "No Cure. No Pay" were the stock in trade of the nineteenth-century medicine business.

One picture, many advertisers. Printers sold stock cards like this with the picture finished and space left blank, and each merchant added his own advertising. Here the front stayed clean and Brown's filled the entire back.

A dog on guard. The little dog standing sentry with a rifle is a charming subject for dog collectors as well as for collectors of patent medicine and pharmacy advertising.

Condition

Very good for its age. Front: clean color; a grey smudge in the lower margin below the dog; a small dark dot at the upper right; a light soft crease and edge wear at the lower right; corners lightly rounded; light toning. Back: clean and bright for its age, with light toning and slight edge wear; no writing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black type, separate from the color work on the front.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for patent medicines, coffee and baking soda are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A Cincinnati brand. Kenton Baking Powder was made by Potter, Parlin & Co. of Cincinnati, and the owl with the smiling moon was its trademark.

Selling on price. Baking powder was one of the most heavily advertised grocery products of the trade card era. Kenton's pitch is plain value: a full pound for twenty cents, with a money-back guarantee.

Summer and winter. Stock designs like this were printed in quantity and sold to merchants, who added their own advertising, here on the back. A summer rose set against a farmyard in snow is a typical decorative pairing of the period.

The trade card craze. In the 1880s grocers handed out colorful cards like this by the thousand, and families saved them in scrapbooks.

Condition

Very good. Colors bright and clean. A short surface crease in the sky at the upper right of the front, near the top edge. A tiny dark speck in the top margin. Corners lightly rounded, with light wear most noticeable at the upper left. The back is evenly toned, with a few short creases at one long edge (left side as shown). No writing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The advertising on the back is printed in a single black ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for grocery products, thread and other household goods are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A Peoria storefront. Peoria sits on the Illinois River, a trading town for the farms around it, and "Special Attention given to the out of town Trade" shows this store courting customers from the surrounding countryside. A china store sold the dinnerware, glass and lamps that furnished a Victorian home.

Stock cards, made to order. Lithographers printed picture cards like this by the thousand, with a design number in the margin, and left space for a local merchant's name to be added in black. The "1314" at lower left is that number.

The trade card craze. In the 1880s cheap color printing put picture cards on every store counter, and families pasted them into scrapbooks by the hundred.

Condition

Very good front. Bright colors. Corners lightly worn; a small nick at the top edge near the center. A small grey smudge in the blue area at right of center. The blank reverse is toned and mottled, with spots of old album residue and paper scuffing at the right side and lower left and a small ink mark at center left. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The store imprint was added in black over the printed picture, and the reverse is blank.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for Illinois merchants and china, glass and household goods are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A Chicago piano maker. Newman Bros. began in Chicago in 1880 building parlor and chapel organs and added high-grade pianos in 1895. The firm built a six-story factory in 1900 and closed in the Great Depression.

The parlor piano. Around 1900 an upright piano was the pride of the middle-class parlor, and makers courted buyers by mail. "Write for Catalogue and Prices" was an invitation to order from the factory.

Mother and child. The tender oval portrait and embossed violets show how far advertising cards had moved toward the sentimental keepsake by the turn of the century.

Condition

Good, with honest wear. Corners softly rounded. A short crease at the top edge near the center and a light crease at the upper right corner of the front. The reverse shows several light creases, most at the upper left and lower right, and light even toning. Embossing intact and colors bright. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The violets are embossed, and the reverse is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More antique advertising trade cards for musical instruments and Chicago firms are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A survivor. This card is printed on paper as thin as onion skin, and it is remarkable that it has lasted well over a century. Farm-implement advertising on paper this fragile seldom survives.

Haying by horse power. The mower's cutter bar sizes, from 4 ft. 3 in. to 6 ft., were the selling points for farmers choosing a machine.

Superstitions for the farmhouse. The back gave the farm family something to keep: a page of folk sayings about luck, love and the weather.

Condition

Fragile and sold as is. Thin onion-skin paper with staining, edge tears and small chips on both sides, and soft creases. Text and illustration remain legible. It will ship in a rigid holder between stiff boards. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This card is printed in a single black ink by letterpress from a line cut, on very thin, translucent paper. Under magnification the illustration resolves into engraved lines and hatching, not a dot screen.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Almost every trade card of this period is bright. Children, flowers, sunshine, pastel skies — the whole genre is relentlessly cheerful, because color was the novelty and printers used all of it they could.

This one goes the other way and prints a night sky. Against a wall of daylight cards it is the one that stops you, which is presumably the entire idea. The talking parrot is doing the selling, but the darkness is doing the work.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period, mainly to the margins. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The dark ground remains deep and even and the design is clean and bright. Blank reverse with toning. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph. Each color was drawn onto its own separate stone by hand and printed as its own pass through the press, every pass registering exactly against the last. This card uses the flat-color mode of the process — broad areas of solid, opaque ink with crisp boundaries rather than blended tone. It is the same technique that produced the great poster designs of the period.

Under magnification the colors resolve as solid fields with clean edges and no dot structure at all. There is no halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; here each color is its own ink, laid down whole.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A piano was the most expensive thing most families would ever buy apart from the house, and the card sells it like one. Seven lines, each starting A PIANO, then the only number that mattered to a nervous buyer: twenty thousand already made and sold.

The transposing keyboard and the mandolin attachment are the period's gadgets. A transposing keyboard let the player shift the key without learning the music again; a mandolin attachment changed the tone. Both were ways of saying this piano could do more than the one down the street.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Mottled blistering and spotting across the blue ground in the upper part of the front; a faded, illegible violet stamp at the upper left; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The kittens and the gold frame remain bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Named for the newest wonder. In the 1880s electric light was the marvel of the age, and advertisers borrowed the word "electric" to sell soap, among much else. Dobbins' Electric Soap of Philadelphia was another.

An Indianapolis soap maker. This card comes from a smaller Midwestern maker, the Electric Soap M'f'g Co. of Indianapolis, and its promise, "No rubbing required," spoke straight to the hours of scrubbing on washday.

Victorian girlhood. Little girls with cakes and flowers were a favorite subject on cards that were handed to mothers at the store counter.

Condition

Very good. Bright colors; corners lightly worn. Faint pale lines run vertically and horizontally through the right half of the front, from a light crease or old mounting. A small dark spot above the lettering and a tiny ink fleck near the top. The blank reverse is clean apart from a faint mirror-image offset of printing at the left, scattered tiny red flecks and a small scuff at the lower right corner. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The soap maker's imprint is printed in black, and the reverse is blank.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Electric-Light Soap cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=electric+soap

More Victorian advertising trade cards for soap, laundry and household products are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Half again as much. Baking powder makers fought hard on price, and Shaw's pitch is more powder for the money.

An open scroll. The blank banner on the front was meant for a local grocer's name, never added on this card.

Condition

Front: good color. Back: staining; text legible. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: small chips in the border at the top. Back: edge staining at the top. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Our New Thread. O.N.T. stood for "Our New Thread." George A. Clark, of the Paisley, Scotland, thread family, came to the United States in 1856, and the Clarks opened a factory in Newark, New Jersey, in 1864. Clark's O.N.T. spool cotton soon became a recognized American brand.

Thread wars. Clark and its Paisley rival J. & P. Coats competed fiercely for American customers, and both flooded stores with picture cards. In the United States the two finally merged as Coats & Clark in 1952.

Monday's child. The card borrows the old fortune-telling rhyme that begins "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace," a natural for a thread maker selling to mothers who sewed their children's clothes.

Condition

Excellent. Clean, bright front with sharp corners and crisp embossing; the bronze ink is bright. The reverse is clean with light even toning; the embossing shows through as relief, as made. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph. Each color was drawn onto its own separate stone by hand and printed as its own pass through the press, every pass registering exactly against the last. This card uses the flat-color mode of the process — broad areas of solid, opaque ink with crisp boundaries rather than blended tone. It is the same technique that produced the great poster designs of the period.

Under magnification the colors resolve as solid fields with clean edges and no dot structure at all. There is no halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; here each color is its own ink, laid down whole.

The outlines and lettering are printed in metallic bronze ink, the design is embossed, and the reverse is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Clark's O.N.T. cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=clark

More Victorian advertising trade cards for thread, children and nursery-rhyme subjects are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: pink ink dashes and small black dots at upper left; even toning. Back: even toning. Please judge from the photos. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Patent medicine and the circus were selling the same thing: a promise that outran the evidence. Putting them on one card was not an accident of printing — both were buying the same attention, and both knew the customer wanted to be amazed before being convinced.

The joke on the front is the more interesting half. The old man is not being told the product works. He is being told he is too shrewd to be fooled, which is a harder sell and a better one. Flattering the buyer's judgment was a new idea in 1886 and it has never gone out of use.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Losses and tearing along one long edge with a chipped area toward the corner; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; scattered foxing, more apparent on the reverse. The chromolithographed image on the front remains bright. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A neighborhood shoe store. Rosenberg sold wholesale and retail from a double storefront on South Fourth Street, took in custom work and repairs, and advertised an agency for German felt shoes and slippers.

Stock card, local imprint. Designs like this were printed in quantity with open space for a merchant's name; Rosenberg's advertising fills the sky. The number 1009 at lower left is a stock design number.

Children at play. Sweet scenes of children, here a tumble with a hoop on the way home from school, were among the most popular trade card subjects of the 1880s.

Condition

As-is, with honest wear. Front: a diagonal crease across the lower right corner, running into the picture, with a small chip at the corner tip; a short crease at the left edge about halfway down; wear at the upper corners; overall toning to the margins. Back: blank and toned, with a darker vertical band near the left edge; long diagonal creases at the upper left and lower left corners, a small corner chip at lower left, and short edge creases at the right side and bottom. Colors remain strong. No writing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The Rosenberg advertising is printed in black type in the sky of the design.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for local merchants, with children and other popular subjects, are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Mikado mania. Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" opened at the Savoy Theatre in London on March 14, 1885, and ran for 672 performances. Katisha is the elderly lady in love with Nanki-Poo. The opera set off a fashion for all things Japanese, and advertisers issued Mikado trade cards to sell all kinds of goods.

Thread wars. J. & P. Coats takes its name from the brothers James and Peter Coats of Paisley, Scotland, who took over their father's thread business in 1830. In 1869 the firm took control of a thread mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and its spools fought for American sewing baskets against Clark's O.N.T. The two rivals merged in the United States as Coats & Clark in 1952.

The trade card craze. In the 1880s cheap color printing put picture cards on every store counter, and families pasted them into scrapbooks by the hundred.

Condition

Heavily handled, sold as is. The lower left corner of the front is missing, taking the first letters of the last line ("[WH]EN"); the same loss shows at the upper right of the reverse. The top edge is trimmed close, clipping the top of the "KATISHA" caption. Light surface soiling and a few small scuffs on the front; colors remain strong. The reverse is toned, with scattered brown stains and spotting, most at the left side. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The reverse is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More J. & P. Coats cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=coats

More Victorian advertising trade cards for thread, soap and theater subjects are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Home, sweet home on wash day. The caption borrows the opening line of "Home! Sweet Home!", John Howard Payne's song from his 1823 opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan, with music by Henry Bishop, and turns it into a laundry slogan.

Beware of imitations. Pearline was a washing compound, and the poem on the back is an attack on cheaper rivals sold door to door, comparing a peddler's patter to the wind, however sweet his voice, even one like Jenny Lind's.

Children and animals. A girl, a kitten and a lamb in a rose garden: exactly the sentimental subject Victorian collectors pasted into their albums, and still a favorite with collectors of children and farm animal cards.

Condition

Sold as-is for its image and text. Front: an area of surface paper loss about 0.5 in. across at lower center, over the girl's legs and the grass, exposing white card; small nick at the upper left edge; corners lightly worn; colors bright elsewhere. Back: matching surface loss in the second stanza that removes several words, plus a few small scuffed patches and light marks at the lower right; overall light toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The poem on the back is printed in black letterpress.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for soap and laundry, thread and coffee are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Coffee by the package. In the 1880s branded, packaged coffee was pushing out loose beans sold from the grocer's bin, and roasters handed out picture cards to win loyal customers. Dilworth's answer to why its coffee was best: "because" it is unequalled.

Donkey rides on the sand. A sailor-suited boy and a bonneted girl on a pair of shaggy donkeys capture a favorite Victorian seaside pleasure, for collectors of children, beach and donkey subjects.

Condition

Front: very good, with bright color, light toning, light edge wear and lightly rounded corners. Back: water staining with tide lines across the top band and below the printing, several round stain spots near the bottom, a scuffed patch of surface at the upper right corner, a few small specks, and overall toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black type, separate from the color work on the front.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for coffee, spices and baking soda are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

This is the travel series, the same one as the Dublin card: fifty stops on an armchair tour of the world, one to a package of coffee. For a family in Kansas in 1891, the tower at Belem and the grape arbors of Portugal were exactly as far away as the moon, and a card like this was how they arrived.

The grapevine running through the design is the clue to what Portugal meant to an American of the period — wine and port, the country's best-known export.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Oregon's picture is its industry: salmon, caught in the rivers and canned for shipment east. The cans in the corner are the whole story of the Columbia River in the 1880s — a fish that had fed the region for thousands of years, turning into a product sold in grocery stores across the country.

Watch the northern border. The card labels Washington T., for Territory. Washington became a state in November 1889, so this map was drawn just before it happened.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

COAL - IRON - OIL is Pennsylvania in three words, and in 1889 it was the industrial heart of the country. The first commercial oil well had been drilled in the state thirty years before, and the vignettes follow the chain from the ground to the railroad: dig it, smelt it, roll it, ship it.

“Shooting” an oil well meant dropping explosives down the bore to crack the rock and start the oil flowing — dangerous work, and a spectacle people came to watch.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Horses and whiskey — Kentucky's reputation was already fixed by 1889, and the card simply prints it. The Kentucky Derby had been run for fifteen years, and Bluegrass bourbon was sold across the country.

The spelling “whisky,” without the e, is what the card uses. American distillers of the period used both.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. White abrasions and small patches of surface loss across the distillery vignette in the upper right; small creases; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The racehorse and the map remain bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

West Virginia was barely a quarter-century old when this card was printed, having split from Virginia during the Civil War. The map makes the point quietly, with Virginia drawn as a separate state along the eastern border.

The refinery and the tank cars show what the new state was selling. Oil and gas had been found along its rivers, and the railroad carried it out.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A few small brown spots in the upper part of the image; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Thread from Paisley. J. & P. Coats was a Scottish thread firm of Paisley, which made its six-cord thread in the United States at Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

A nursery rhyme to sell thread. The old rhyme of Pippin Hill gives the card its charm.

Condition

Front: toning and edge wear, damage at the left edge. Back: toned, edge wear. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More J. & P. Coats cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=coats

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

“The Name Tells” and “Beware of Imitations” are the same message from two sides. The Round Oak was copied widely enough that the maker put his own name on every stove and told customers to look for it. The pretty face on the front is there to be kept; the warning on the back is the reason the card was printed.

The dealer imprint is what makes this one. The stove was sold across the country, but this card was handed across the counter in West Concord, Minnesota, a small town with a hardware store that stocked the Round Oak. National brand, local shop.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A chip to the lower-right corner of the card; a small nick at the left edge; a toned, unprinted strip along the top edge; rounded, worn corners; toning to the reverse. The portrait on the front remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Kendall was already sixty years old when this card was printed, and the reverse says so. In an era when anyone could put a name on a box, “Established 1827” was doing real work — it meant somebody had been answering for the product for three generations.

The front makes no argument at all. There is no soap in the picture, no kitchen, no washing. Just a portrait good enough to want on the wall, with the name underneath. The company was buying a place in the house rather than a place in the argument.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A crease to one corner; staining and pale patches to the reverse; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The chromolithographed portrait on the front remains bright with strong color. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

“A beautiful picture card in every package” is the whole strategy in one line. The picture has nothing to do with coffee and was never meant to. The design number in the corner gives it away: this is a printer's stock design, and Blanke bought it to put in the package because a pretty card got the next package bought.

The blend is named by where the beans came from — Java, Mocha, Maracaibo and Santos. Coffee was still sold by its port of origin, and a four-port blend was a way of promising something better than the plain Rio most people drank. The card does not say where Blanke was based; the company is generally associated with St. Louis.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A circular water stain beside the rose in the upper right; fine surface crazing across the lower half of the front; a crease through the lower-left corner running through the design number; small surface losses along the top edge; a stain to the lower left of the reverse. Colors remain strong. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Beer and lumber were Wisconsin's two great industries in 1889, and the card gives one to each half of the picture. Milwaukee's brewers, many of them German immigrants, were already shipping beer nationally; the northern pineries were feeding the sawmills that built the prairie towns.

The copper brew kettle is drawn with real care, which is typical of this series: the artists clearly worked from real industrial scenes rather than inventing them.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The foreign map series put a country on one side of a card and its reputation on the other side of the picture. For Ireland, Arbuckle chose Killarney — lakes, trees, and a tourist on a jaunting car — rather than the Dublin they had shown in the travel series.

The government line, Constitutional Monarchy, is a period detail in itself. In 1889 Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, and the card lists it as a country of its own.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Foxing and scattered spots along the top edge of the reverse; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: very good, clean color. Back: small edge losses and scuffing at the corners and along the bottom line of text. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Starch was a weekly chore product, used on collars, cuffs and shirt fronts, and nobody needed to be told what it was for. So the card does not explain the product at all. It shows a well-kept child in a crisp white dress with a lace collar and lets the reader draw the connection.

A card this plain on the back was meant for the album rather than the kitchen drawer. The name sits at the foot of the picture, where it would be seen every time the page was turned.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. The blank reverse has heavy tide-line staining with large pale patches, likely from an old album mounting; a small pale scuff to the right of the face on the front; minor edge and corner wear. The portrait on the front remains bright. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The coffee that won the West. The Arbuckle brothers began roasting coffee in Pittsburgh and moved the business to New York City in 1871. John Arbuckle patented an egg-based glaze for roasted beans in 1868, and the packaged Ariosa brand became famous on the frontier. The back of this card explains the glaze in the company's own words.

Fifty views of the world. This is number 6 of the 1891 "Views from a Trip Around the World" series, one of the many numbered sets Arbuckle packed with its coffee to keep families buying, and collecting.

Antwerp, Holland? The front captions the city as being in Holland, while the text on the back correctly calls Antwerp "the chief commercial city of Belgium." A small slip of the period that collectors enjoy.

Printed by Knapp. The card is signed by Joseph P. Knapp, Lith., N.Y., one of the major color printers behind the Arbuckle series.

Condition

Very good. Front: colors bright and clean; corners lightly worn, the upper right slightly soft; light edge wear. Back: even light toning and a few tiny specks; print crisp and fully legible. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Arbuckle and other Victorian coffee trade cards, and trade cards for thread and patent medicines, are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Calling a soap “Electric-Light” in the 1880s was like calling a product “smart” today. Electric light was the newest and most astonishing thing a town could have, and very few homes did. The name borrowed the excitement without having anything to do with electricity at all.

“No rubbing required” was the real promise. Laundry was hard physical work, and a soap that claimed to take the scrubbing out of it was offering an afternoon back.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A narrow toned band along the top edge of the front; faint show-through of the front text on the blank reverse; minor edge and corner wear. Colors remain strong. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A Kansas City want ad? The card names no city. The best-known paper of the name is the Kansas City Journal-Post. Walter S. Dickey bought the Kansas City Journal and, in 1922, the Kansas City Post, and the two were combined as the Kansas City Journal-Post on October 4, 1928. The paper's last issue appeared on March 31, 1942.

Help wanted. Before employment agencies and job boards, a classified ad was how a household found a cook, a maid or a nurse, and newspapers promoted their want-ad columns with giveaways like this card.

Pocket-size advertising. Small enough for a purse or a desk drawer, the card kept the paper's telephone number at hand. "PHONE MAIN 4000" dates from the era of named telephone exchanges.

Condition

Very good. Front bright and clean, corners lightly rounded, light edge wear, and a tiny orange mark at the bottom edge. The blank back is lightly toned with faint mottling. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is a color lithograph of the twentieth century, printed by a more modern commercial method. The exact process cannot be determined with certainty from a scan, so none is claimed here. Under magnification the image resolves into a regular, fine dot pattern rather than the irregular hand-drawn stipple of an 1880s chromolithograph.

That screen is exactly what a card of this date should show, so it is not a sign of reproduction here. The evidence of an original is the card itself: its printed text, its imprints and the wear of its age.

The want-ad text is printed in solid black type over the color picture.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Journal-Post cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=journal-post

A companion Journal-Post want-ad card with a different illustration, and more vintage advertising cards, are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Our New Thread. O.N.T. stood for "Our New Thread," the name Clark gave the product when it was introduced. The thread makers were among the busiest trade card advertisers of the 1880s, and Clark's cards were issued in long series.

Made in Newark. The Clark Thread Company's factory stood in Newark, New Jersey, on the west bank of the Passaic River.

Orientalist travel. Egypt and the Near East, with pyramids, caravans and desert guards in rich costume, were favorite subjects of Victorian painters and printers. This large card is a strong example for collectors of Orientalist imagery.

Written for the lady of the house. The back speaks directly to the woman who did the family sewing, and who, in the 1880s, often kept these cards in an album.

Condition

Front very good: clean and bright, corners sharp to lightly worn. A small light stain in the margin to the right of the trademark roundel, and a few tiny surface scuffs and dark flecks in the sand below the skull. The back shows extensive tan streaking from old album glue, with small areas of surface paper loss (thinning) at the upper left and along the left side; the printing remains complete and legible. No writing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The advertising on the back is printed in a single green ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Clark's O.N.T. cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=clark

More Victorian advertising trade cards for thread and sewing, along with other Orientalist and travel subjects, are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

This card catches South Dakota at the moment it became a state. The Dakota Territory was divided and both halves admitted in November 1889, the same year as the copyright line — and Arbuckle already had a card for each half.

The elk herd is the picture of the country before the settlers finished arriving. The population figure is the other clue. This card prints 67,589 and the North Dakota card 67,588 — together 135,177, the 1880 census count for the whole Dakota Territory. Arbuckle appears simply to have split the old figure in half, because no separate count for either state yet existed.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Siberia was the one place on the foreign map series with no industry to show except punishment. Russia sent convicts and political exiles east to the mines, and by the late 1880s American readers knew about it from George Kennan's reports in The Century magazine, which caused a sensation.

The shackle and chain beside the map is not decoration. For an American coffee buyer in 1889, Siberia meant exile.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A Kansas City want ad? The card names no city. The best-known paper of the name is the Kansas City Journal-Post. Walter S. Dickey bought the Kansas City Journal and, in 1922, the Kansas City Post, and the two were combined as the Kansas City Journal-Post on October 4, 1928. The paper's last issue appeared on March 31, 1942.

Help wanted. Before employment agencies and job boards, a classified ad was how a household found a cook, a maid or a nurse, and newspapers promoted their want-ad columns with giveaways like this card.

Pocket-size advertising. Small enough for a purse or a desk drawer, the card kept the paper's telephone number at hand. "PHONE MAIN 4000" dates from the era of named telephone exchanges.

Condition

Very good. Front bright and clean, corners lightly rounded, light edge wear, and a few tiny brown age spots in the margins. The blank back is lightly toned, with a few small brown spots (foxing) toward the upper left. No writing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is a color lithograph of the twentieth century, printed by a more modern commercial method. The exact process cannot be determined with certainty from a scan, so none is claimed here. Under magnification the image resolves into a regular, fine dot pattern rather than the irregular hand-drawn stipple of an 1880s chromolithograph.

That screen is exactly what a card of this date should show, so it is not a sign of reproduction here. The evidence of an original is the card itself: its printed text, its imprints and the wear of its age.

The want-ad text is printed in solid black type over the color picture.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Journal-Post cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=journal-post

A companion Journal-Post want-ad card with a different illustration, and more vintage advertising cards, are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Read down the left edge of the reverse and it spells B-B-B-B-C-O-F-F-E-E. A word puzzle on the back of a coffee card rewarded the reader for looking twice, and anyone who worked it out remembered the name.

The card does not say who roasted B.B.B.B. Coffee or where. That is part of its interest: a brand confident enough to go by four initials, and small enough that the name has not come down to us attached to a company.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A small brown adhesion spot on the right of the reverse; a soft crease with light damage at the lower-right corner, visible on both sides; some rubbing across the center of the rose; light surface soiling. Colors remain rich. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Illinois gets two industries that would both have been instantly recognizable to a buyer in 1889. The Elgin watch works outside Chicago was one of the largest in the world, and Illinois factories were making the plows and reapers that were opening the prairie farms further west.

The women at the watch benches are a detail worth noticing. Fine assembly work of this kind was widely given to women workers, and the card shows it as simply part of the scene.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

North Dakota in 1889 was wheat, and nothing else on the card needs saying. The great bonanza farms of the Red River Valley ran to tens of thousands of acres, worked by gangs of men and machines exactly like the ones drawn here.

Like the South Dakota card, this one arrived just as the territory was divided. Both halves became states in November 1889, and Arbuckle had a map ready for each. The population figures give the game away: this card prints 67,588 and the South Dakota card 67,589. Together they make 135,177, the 1880 census count for the whole Dakota Territory. Arbuckle appears simply to have split the old figure in half.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Giacomelli was a real name in Paris, known for his bird illustrations, and the thread company put that name on the back for a reason. A set of twelve fine bird pictures, issued one at a time and each with its own verse, was something a household would keep in order in an album. “Preserve the cards as issued” is the company telling you so.

The poem does the selling the picture will not. Three verses about a bird that will eat only the best, and the last two lines turn it round on the thread.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. The printed ground stops a little short of the right edge, leaving a narrow unprinted strip as trimmed at the time; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear. The reverse is clean with strong blue printing. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

A card waiting for a name. Lithographers printed picture cards in quantity and sold them to merchants, who had their names added for their own customers. This one was never imprinted, so it survives exactly as it left the printer.

Dogs and children. A dog in harness pulling children in a shoe brings together two favorite Victorian subjects, with holly for the holidays, and it crosses over to dog, winter and Christmas collectors.

The trade card craze. In the 1880s cheap color printing put picture cards on every store counter, and families pasted them into scrapbooks by the hundred.

Condition

Very good. Bright colors and clean front; corners sharp with light wear. A small dark spot in the sky at upper left. The blank reverse is toned with an overall mottled, wavy staining pattern. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The reverse is blank.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian trade cards with dogs, children and winter scenes are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Colorado in 1889 meant mountains and silver. Leadville and the other mining camps had made fortunes in the previous decade, and the silver mine at the foot of the card was the reason most people had come.

The Mount of the Holy Cross was famous from William Henry Jackson's photograph of the snow-filled cross on its face, and it was one of the best-known mountain views in America. The card puts it alongside Pike's Peak as the two Colorado landmarks a buyer back east would recognize.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Our New Thread. "O.N.T." stood for "Our New Thread," the Clark Thread Company's famous brand. The Clark family's thread business began at Paisley, Scotland, in 1812, and George A. Clark completed a large new mill in Newark, New Jersey, in 1866; the company even named its soccer team Clark O.N.T.

Fast black. The back's selling point is a dye that would not fade: thread that "will never show white on the Seams" after wear and washing.

Thread and needles together. The back also advertises Milward's needles, an old English needle-making name, on the same card as the thread.

A crowd of babies. Victorian printers loved a crush of round-faced babies, and this embossed example, with its doll and bonneted centerpiece, is a crossover piece for collectors of children and doll imagery.

Condition

Sold as-is for its image. Front: the upper right corner is missing (paper loss about 0.3 in. deep) with grey smudging around the break; a short white surface crease at the bottom center; light rubbing to the embossed medallion; edges toned; colors otherwise strong. Back: paper loss at the upper left corner; a band of surface scuffing and thinning across the lower right that removes parts of the Milward's needle text; light toning overall. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The central medallion is embossed, and the back is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for thread, sewing notions and patent medicines are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Mexico in 1889 was drawing American railroads and investment south, and the mule train in the corner shows the country those railroads were replacing — goods carried over the mountains on animals, as they had been for centuries.

The bullfight was the image every American reader associated with Mexico, and the card leads with it. It is the most dramatic scene in the foreign map series.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The back makes an unusual confession: this coffee costs the grocer more than any other package brand. Most advertisers hid their price. McLaughlin put it up front and turned it into the argument — the grocer pays more, so the grocer must think it is worth it, and you get five cents a pound of value you did not pay for.

Packaged coffee in one-pound bags was still a new idea. Most people bought coffee loose, often green, and roasted it at home. A card like this was selling the package as much as the coffee.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A paler strip along the left edge of the front; a small stain on the boy's cheek; light foxing to the lower left of the reverse; minor edge and corner wear. The printed image remains clear and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This card was printed from a single stone in one ink, on tinted stock — an economical choice, since the colored card supplies a second tone at no extra press pass. The design was drawn by hand in reverse on the stone, the shading built from the density of the drawn marks rather than from color.

Under magnification the tone resolves into hand-drawn stipple, not a mechanical screen. There is no halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and the back of this card says so.

Condition

Front: very good, clean color. Back: heavy staining and scuffing, with small paper losses at the corners; text legible. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Lion Coffee cards in our store: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=lion+coffee

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

A brand older than the box. The Arm & Hammer name and logo date back to the 1860s. Church & Co., whose name is on this card, later joined with John Dwight & Co. as Church & Dwight in 1896, and the arm and hammer is still on the box today.

Collect all sixty. The back says it plainly: a set of these cards, 60 in all, "accumulated in the ordinary course of buying housekeeping supplies will form an interesting collection." Arm & Hammer flower, bird and animal series were saved in albums by the thousands, and collectors still build the sets number by number.

Package versus bulk. The back also makes a case that sounds modern: buy the sealed, branded package, not soda scooped from the grocer's barrel, because the brand carries "the guarantee of a responsible manufacturer."

For the garden collector. The fuchsia, drawn in four colors from bud to full bloom, makes this a natural fit for botanical and flower collectors as well as advertising collectors.

Condition

Used, with honest age wear. Front: bright color; light soiling and a few small grey specks in the cream margin and on the leaves; a small tan strip of old paper residue at the top edge; corners lightly rounded. Back: an old piece of blue-green paper or tape about 0.6 in. wide is stuck at top center, covering part of the heading and first lines; a small dark spot at the left edge; even toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in black letterpress-style type, separate from the color work on the front.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for baking soda, coffee and patent medicines are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Polly wants a cracker. The Dozier-Weyl Cracker Co. of St. Louis put a parrot to work selling its Royal Snowflake crackers. Another card in the same vein, held by Digital Commonwealth, has the bird asking "Polly wanta cracker?" This one threatens to paint the town red if it does not get one.

A St. Louis baker. Dozier-Weyl was an established St. Louis cracker maker; The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds its "Descriptive Sample Book of Goods" of 1881.

For bird and humor collectors. The strong poster-like color, the slang slogan and the parrot make this a card that appeals well beyond cracker and food advertising.

Condition

As-is, with clear wear. Front: a chip with paper loss at the upper left corner and a short tear along the top edge there; a vertical crease with a small split at the bottom edge near the spire; the right edge cut close, touching the last letter of "Flake"; scuffing and light soiling; colors strong. Back: a band of old tape or album paper residue across the bottom edge with some surface loss; a curved crease at the upper left; small surface scrapes at upper center and lower left; ink offset in red, yellow and blue; overall toning. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph. Each color was drawn onto its own separate stone by hand and printed as its own pass through the press, every pass registering exactly against the last. This card uses the flat-color mode of the process — broad areas of solid, opaque ink with crisp boundaries rather than blended tone. It is the same technique that produced the great poster designs of the period.

Under magnification the colors resolve as solid fields with clean edges and no dot structure at all. There is no halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; here each color is its own ink, laid down whole.

The sky and ground are built up from fine ruled lines of overlapping color, a mechanical tint of the period, rather than from dots.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for crackers, coffee and patent medicines are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Fish and dairy, the two things the Dutch sent abroad, are how the card sums up the country. The women on the beach are the fishermen's wives who carried the catch inland to market, and they were a favorite subject for painters of the period.

The map is drawn on a scroll unrolling across the card, one of the more inventive layouts in the foreign series.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A small pencil mark at the upper right of the reverse; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Arbuckle sold coffee by making the package worth opening. Fifty animals in one series, fifty maps in another, distributed so that no two packages in a case matched — a child who wanted the complete set had to keep the family buying coffee. It is a loyalty scheme a century before the phrase existed, and it worked well enough that Arbuckle became one of the largest coffee businesses in the country.

The reverse contains a small masterpiece of competitive advertising. Arbuckle observes that rival manufacturers, recommending their own goods, have known no higher praise than to say “It's just as good as Arbuckles'.” Quoting your competitors' own words back as proof of your standing is a move that has aged very well.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Creasing and a short split across the upper right of the card; light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; toning to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Arbuckle ran several numbered series at once, and this is the travel series: fifty stops on an armchair tour of the world, one per package of coffee. The reverse reads like a guidebook, and for many households in 1891 it was the only guidebook to Dublin they would ever own.

The front shows the working of the series well. A city view, a landmark, and a pair of local types — the colleen and the laborer — each framed like a postcard pinned to a board. It is how most Americans of the period expected to meet a foreign country: as a set of pictures, collected one at a time.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. A short split and a small brown spot at the bottom edge below the title; wear to the lower-left corner; light edge toning; minor corner wear elsewhere. The chromolithographed image remains bright and the reverse text fully legible. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Not every Arbuckle card belonged to a numbered series. Alongside the maps and the travel views, the company packed plain picture cards like this one, with the full sales argument on the back and nothing on the front but a scene to keep.

The back is the most complete statement of Arbuckle's case: coffee sold roasted and glazed in a sealed package, rather than loose from a barrel. The glaze of egg and sugar kept the beans fresh, and Arbuckle wanted every customer to know it was there.

Condition

Toning and age typical of the period. Several patches of surface paper loss on the reverse, where the card was once glued into an album, passing through parts of the text; a pencil name at the top of the reverse; minor edge and corner wear. The front is clean and bright. Please view the images carefully.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

Provenance

This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The coffee that came with a picture. Lion Coffee began in Toledo, Ohio, in 1864 and became part of the Woolson Spice Company in 1882. Alvin Woolson built the brand by putting picture cards in every package, and this card says so on its back.

Cut out the lion's head. The premium system printed here, save the lion heads from the wrappers and trade them for pictures, books and games, made Lion one of the best-known coffee brands of its day and filled family albums with cards like this one.

Roses in the snow. A summer rose set against a winter cottage is a favorite Victorian contrast, and the deep embossing makes this one of the more sculptural cards of the period. A good card for collectors of florals, winter scenes and Toledo history.

Condition

Used, with age wear. Front: a crease with a short surface break runs in about 1 in. from the left edge at mid-height, by the lower rosebud; a short crease near the lower right corner and light creasing at the lower left corner; corners lightly worn; a few small specks in the margins; light even toning. Back: light toning, the embossing shows through as expected, light creasing at the lower left and a small crease line at the right edge; no writing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The rose, leaves and scene are embossed, and the relief shows through on the back. The back is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for coffee, spices and baking soda are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

Thread from Paisley. J. & P. Coats was a Scottish thread firm of Paisley. In 1869 it allied with the Conant thread works of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which then made the Coats six-cord thread in the United States.

Made for the sewing machine. Six-cord thread was strong enough for machine stitching, and the back of this card says it plainly: "For Hand and Machine."

Comedy sells thread. Instead of showing the product at work, the artist stages a squabble between two market women while a starchy customer waits, and drops a giant spool into the corner. Humorous scenes like this were a staple of the Victorian trade card.

Condition

Fair to good. Front: light soiling and foxing across the sky area, heaviest at upper center, with a few small grey smudges; small dark spot at the left edge; a curved surface crease at the lower right corner and a short crease at the right edge; corners softly rounded, the lower left with a small bump. Colors otherwise bright. Back: overall toning with light staining at the left and center, a few small dark specks, and a light crease at the lower left corner. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The back is printed in a single blue ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards for thread, sewing and patent medicines are in our store.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.