Victorian Reward of Merit Card

19th Century Advertising Trade Card Image Gallery Directory: Thumbnails of all our original chromolithographic trade cards with links to the larger images and a full description.

Although the advertisement of products and services was active long before the 19th century, It was not until the second half of the 19th century that companies and businesses realized the importance of promoting their products in order to better compete with the growing market, thus, advertising became one of the most potent selling tools to date. 'Trade Cards' and 'Labels' were used to advertise all kinds of products and services. They were the popular choice due to their beautiful and decorative styles and small size. Unlike other methods of advertising, often discarded and destroyed, people actually collected these cards and labels, often keeping them in scrapbooks. The advertising artists went to great lengths in order to create images with sophisticated, decorative and colorful designs that would entice the public to purchase the advertised products. 'Trade Cards' came in various sizes, shapes and colors, and most often depicted beautiful women, cute children, animals, flowers and landscapes, however, many other types of images were part of their wonderful selection. As antique art, advertisements such as these original examples reflect the true tastes and desires of the times.

The subjects and categories chosen to illustrate and promote the merchandise and services were endless. Much like today, advertisers employed marketing strategies that embraced the needs or desires of people. Fantasy, comedy, satire, education, politics, and even religion were subjects often manipulated to best represent their merchandise and services. The various categories comprised of circus art, sports memorabilia, portraits of famous men and women, medical supplies and remedies, special holidays, transportation, and other interesting subjects. Trade cards were often a primary means of marketing used by both the medical profession and snake-oil vendors, 'Quacks' selling their remedies for both animals and people. There were trade cards for food products, such as cereals, meats, canned foods, soda pop, coffee, sweets and a variety of different types of groceries (both local and imported), mechanical bank trade cards luring people to save and deposit their money into their banks. The small specialized shops and department stores also advertised items of clothing, such as, shoes, dresses, pants, shirts, hats, coats, etc. There were toiletries like perfumes, colognes and soaps which were great gift ideas. Other items offered for sale included clocks, watches, firearms and toys. Their household goods departments sold dishes, canisters, silverware, pots, kettles, thread, pins and needles, cleaning supplies like brushes and buckets. Companies also advertised tools, large appliances, machinery and other smaller items that reduced the time spent doing chores, like their new sewing machines, stoves, and gardening tools of all types and sizes. Of course, advertisers could not afford to exclude three of the most controversial products ever offered for sale. They became some of the most lucrative products on the market, cigars, cigarettes and liquor.