Blotters

Historical Context

Advertising for doctors. Drug makers sent blotters like this to physicians' offices, where they stayed on the desk.

"Nutley 10, N.J." is a postal zone address from before ZIP codes.

Condition

Front: very good, white margins. Back: blue blotter with a light wrinkle. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is a color print of the twentieth century, made by a 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 dot pattern or flat solid inks, rather than the irregular hand-drawn stipple of an 1880s chromolithograph.

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

The back is blue blotting paper.

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 vintage advertising blotters and 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 salesman's calling card. Ink blotters were handed out by salesmen and kept on desks for years, the name always in sight.

Postal zones. "Wichita 12" and "Kansas City 6" are the postal zone numbers used before ZIP codes arrived in 1963.

Condition

Excellent. Clean front, pink blotter back. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is a color print of the twentieth century, made by a 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 dot pattern or flat solid inks, rather than the irregular hand-drawn stipple of an 1880s chromolithograph.

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

The back is plain pink blotting paper.

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 vintage advertising blotters and 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 Tulsa landmark. Meadow Gold is a name Route 66 travelers know: the neon Meadow Gold sign, built in 1934 by the Claude Neon company to advertise Beatrice's Meadow Gold brand, still stands in Tulsa at East 11th Street and South Quaker Avenue, rebuilt in a brick structure of its own after its original building was demolished in 2004.

A name from an employee contest. "Meadow Gold" was trademarked on November 12, 1901, by the Continental Creamery Company, the name chosen by its employees to suggest golden cream. The Beatrice Creamery Company acquired Continental in 1905, and Meadow Gold was a household name across much of America by the Second World War.

Dairy on the menu. Rather than just show a milk bottle, this card sells a whole dish, the kind of serving suggestion dairies used to push cottage cheese alongside the milk.

Condition

Good, used. Front: colors clean and bright; corners softly rounded with light wear, light rubbing along the edges, a faint light vertical crease line in the gold panel at left, and a few tiny dark specks. Back: light toning, faint water tide lines across the upper half, mirror-image ink offset at center, and red pencil notes at the right. 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 back is plain absorbent stock, as on an ink blotter, and is unprinted.

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 vintage food and dairy advertising and Victorian advertising trade cards 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.