Trade Cards 19th Century Advertising

by wcascade40

Trade cards were small color cards advertising many different products. Many people collected these in the 19th century.

cracker trade card
cracker trade card

Building brand loyalty

Before the American Civil War there was little product advertising and there was little need for it. Families grew most of their own food and made most of the things they needed. Whatever the family could not produce themselves they bought from the local store. But the products generally did not have brand names; you bought coffee not Lion brand coffee for example.

Lion coffee trade card

Lion coffee published new cards 4 times a year
lion coffee trade card
lion coffee trade card
soap trade card
soap trade card

Growth of advertising

But in the 1870’s, with the Industrial Revolution, more and more products were available in the stores. Groceries were not necessarily sold in bulk, but by the can or bottle, and the products had brand names. So companies tried to get their customers to be loyal to the product brands. But, how to advertise? There were newspapers and magazines and they contained plenty of advertisements. But there was, of course, no television or radio. Manufacturers wanted another way to create brand loyalty.

furniture trade card
furniture trade card
clark mills trade card
clark mills trade card

colorful advertisements

Companies put up placards and displays in the stores and they also started passing out advertising trade cards.

These were postcard sized, colorful pieces of thin cardboard. Inexpensive color lithography had been perfected by this time so the cards designs could be quite bright and detailed.

One side had the design and the reverse listed the product name and the sales pitch. It also might list the local store where the item was available.

Patent Medicine Christmas trade card
Patent Medicine Christmas trade card
Woolson Spice Christmas trade card
Woolson Spice Christmas trade card

Holiday trade cards

The cards were distributed several ways. Some were mailed out to prospective customers. Many cards were handed out by retailers, sometimes when the item was bought, sometimes to everybody.

Some, such as Lion Coffee were put in the packaging. Lion Coffee was part of the Woolson Spice Company. That company distributed new cards 4 times a year, to coincide with the seasons. They had some very nice Christmas cards, which are still collected.

cereal trade card
cereal trade card
Glue trade cards
Glue trade cards

Cards eagerly collected

Many people did collect the cards, just for the pretty pictures. You need to keep in mind that people might not see a lot of artwork in their day to day life, so these images looked pretty good. People would paste them into albums and many would trade the cards like children later traded baseball cards.

The fad lasted about 50 years and the images recall a simpler time. Some of the products are, quite rightly, no longer being made. Cocaine drops to soothe a quiet baby, for example. But quite a few of the products being advertised on the cards, such as Singer Sewing Machines. are still being made.

Victorian Trade Cards: Historical Ref...
Collector Books
Only $16.57
Updated: 06/21/2011, wcascade40
 
Thank you! Would you like to post a comment now?
3

Comments

Only logged-in users are allowed to comment. Login
sheilamarie on 06/25/2011

I don't blame people for collecting these cards! They really are fun to look at.

spirituality on 06/22/2011

These are beautiful.

You might also like

The Women Who Fought in the American Civil War

When we imagine the heat and blood of Gettysburg, it's the men that we see st...

The Carolina Conjoined Slave Twins Born in 1851

In 1851 children who were born ill or with special needs seldom survived. Con...


Disclosure: This page generates income for authors based on affiliate relationships with our partners, including Amazon, Google and others.
Loading ...
Error!