Zany Trade Cards-Small ads of the late 1800s

One of the most popular forms of advertising for small businesses at the turn of the century were trade cards (small space ads).  They were about half the size of today’s postcard. And they were typically a pre-printed color image on the front.  The local businesses would print their own message on the blank reverse side.

During this period, color lithography was becoming more affordable. Manufacturers embellished their cards with decorative graphics, usually flowers, cherubs and scenic landscape. But cartoons were also very common. Collecting trade cards was a popular pastime. Many examples have been passed down in family scrapbooks. We found these examples in some scrapbooks.

Here are some interesting examples of trade cards that were popular in the late 1800s. The idea of advertisers was to attract the customer with a razzle-dazzle color visual on the front and leave the hard sell on the reverse side.