Victorian trade cards and the magic lantern (part 1)

Trade cards and the magic lantern
part 1

Victorian trade cards are19th-century promotional ads for various products and services. Most of them are a little smaller than a post card, about 7.5 x 13 cm (3" x 5"). Manufacturers gave millions of those colourful trade cards away as advertising souvenirs at all of the major exhibitions and many people fell into the habit of collecting the cards, pasting them into large scrap book albums. At the local food store many of these cards came packaged in tins of coffee or tea, or were handed out to the customers for free. The 1867 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia marked a important part in the history of trade card collecting. Lithography had just been introduced and the appearance of the now beautifully coloured cards set off a collecting craze. Trade Cards all but disappeared from the scene by the end of the 1904 World's Fair. They were eventually replaced by full-colour magazine ads and young people saw trade cards as too old fashioned to collect.

The number of collectors of Victorian Trade Cards has expanded rapidly in recent years. These days there are specialized auctions and conventions and thousands of avid collectors attend the many ephemera shows. Trade cards that were bought for ten cents thirty years ago frequently bring ten dollars or more in today's market. Some of the most sought after have even sold for over a thousand dollars. Black and white cards are rare because people in those days didn't like them and threw them away.

		In 1846 the American inventor Elias Howe patented a sewing machine using an eye pointed needle and an oscillating shuttle. Isaac Merrit Singer laid the groundwork for the mass production of this labour saving tool. Soon the sewing machine became an essential household appliance in many Victorian homes. A lot of of lovely images on trade cards are devoted to the sewing machine and sewing threads. This card is about 11,5 x 7.5 cm (4.5" x 3") and shows a homey scene with a group of children and a boy projecting Brook's goat head trademark on the wall. The card is printed in rich colours with orange and dark hues, thus creating a striking exception to the usual effects created by the lighter inks often used in trade card images. On the reverse side a list of the medals and awards won by Brook's, the last being the Gold Medal at Calcutta, 1883. A variation of this card shows the text 'Brook's Patent Glace Thread' projected in stead of 'Brook's Six Cord'. Size: 11 cm x 8 cm (4 3/8" x 3 1/8").
It's really enjoyable to see all the ways that a spool of thread was incorporated into the image on the trade card. This card advertising Clark's Thread shows cats dressed as people watching a magic lantern lecture. One may wonder what excites them most, the running mice or the superior quality of the thread. The image appears to be borrowed from the work of the British illustrator Louis Wain, whose book, magazine and postcard images of cats are considered highly collectible. This card is an example of a custom design card. These cards mostly picture the product being advertised at the front. The company did not share the design with other firms. Size: 11 cm x 8 cm (4 3/8" x 3 1/8").
		Series of six cards in chromolithography depicting a magic lantern showing Pierrot and his lovely girl friend Columbine in a country landscape. The first card is titled 'Mur mitoyen' (the partition wall). The other titles are 'Premier cadeau' (First gift), 'Premier rendez-vous' (First meeting), 'Declaration' (Declaration of love), 'Correction méritée' (A deserved punishment) and 'Entrevue troublée' (Disturbed meeting). These cards are examples of stock cards, which could be applied to any product. The backs are blank and could be printed by the advertiser. Usually there was a blank area on the front for the customer to print as well. Size: approx.10.5 x 7 cm (4" x 2 3/4"). Printer is the well-known Champenois & Co. Paris, who printed so many cards for Liebig, Au Bon Marché and others. Perhaps Lapierre's Lanterne Carrée served as a model for the magic lantern on these beautiful cards.

Four French trade cards picturing scenes from one of Florian's fables, 'Le Singe qui montre la Lanterne Magique' (The monkey that is giving a magic lantern show). Number one advertises 'A LA PARISIENNE' 41 Faubourg Montmartre 41. The second one is printed by Vieillemard et ses Fils, Rue de la Glaciere 16, Paris. It's one of a series of at least 68 cards, of which ten present fables of Florian. It advertises Chocolat Guerin Boutron on the front and has a verse on the back. Size approx. 7 x 11 cm (2 3/4" x 4 1/4"). The third one advertises Chicorée Boulangère Paguetage Croissant on the picture side and a consistent advertising text on the back. The card is printed by A. Billon, Paris, and measures approx. 6.5 x 10 cm (2 1/2" x 4"). The title of the fable is written across the golden border, above the last four lines of Florian's fable verse. A similar series of cards has a blue border instead of gold.
		Number four is a trade card advertising the French alcohol drink Byrrh. Various such pictures were published as a series of cards depicting the results of a contest for Byrrh as the topic for a series of posters. Again this picture displays a magic lantern show with our monkey as the lanternist. The drawing on this card was ranked fifth in the contest mentioned above. The size of this card is that of a standard postcard.
		The 19th century was a time of invention and innovation. New products were introduced almost daily, with the cards conscientiously reflecting the developments. This nice Victorian trade card shows some gnomes using a prism to create a rainbow effect while another gnome shows a slide using a magic lantern. On the back is an ad for Prentice Scientific Novelties with line drawings and prices of some optical devices, including a drawing of the magic lantern used on the other side.
Hood's Sarsaparilla. Nice image with circus advertising on reverse. Size approx 8 x 12 cm (3.1" x 4.75"). A magic lantern projects the text 'Take Hood's Sarsaparilla; purify your blood' above the heads of the audience which is paying but little attention to the message. Almost every type of product imaginable was advertised by trade cards, however medicines are among the most promoted. Many trade cards have stains on the back from the glue that was used to hold the cards in the scrapbooks.
		More Victorian Trade Cards..............