By the mid-1870s multicolor trade cards had fully emerged as a popular form of advertising for a wide variety of manufacturers and retail establishments, stimulating a vigorous, competitive business for the printing industry. Advertisers could overprint their promotional information in spaces on the front or have it stamped on the reverse.
Some stock trade cards were purpose designed – like the top card featuring iconic art deco imagery combined with a typical victorian scene. Other cards were reproductions of classic artwork, shown here is a reproduction of a Landseer painting – done by Mayer, Merkel & Ottmann, Lithographers, 21-25 Warren St NY
The stock trade cards were commonly designed with blank areas on their fronts or backs into which advertisers could insert their promotional copy. Such “stock cards” were carried around by traveling salesmen, who took orders from a variety of businesses, making it possible for several different firms to promote their products with cards of the same design.
Some stock trade cards also reproduced certain sections of larger images, here the main part of the image with the boy and dog from the original stock card is copied onto a colored background in a smaller size.
Trade cards proved extremely popular with the public. Distributed by businesses of every kind, from thread to stoves to tobacco and medicine, they were often inserted into product packaging as a prize or bonus. Color printing was still very much a novelty, and the cards were valued for their radiant images. Here we see a card that was printed in full color or in a desaturated (and less expensive) version
Over time, larger businesses began to commission exclusive designs. Here we have a shoe manufacturer who printed a stock card with a calendar on the reverse and space to personalize individual retailers. These 4 cards all have different towns on the reverse.
More Information: https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/tradecards/exhibition/history/index.html#modalClosed
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